


Miraculous Team: Secrets Keepers

by SonicPossible00



Series: Miraculous Team [3]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M, Madame Romani, Multi, Paris (City), reptile - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-01
Updated: 2017-10-29
Packaged: 2018-12-09 19:28:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 128,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11675559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonicPossible00/pseuds/SonicPossible00
Summary: Sequel to Miraculous Team: Haute Couture. Hawk Moth and his minions keep making life difficult for our heroes, by sending more and more akumas to kill them. And to make matters worse, Manon is going to stay with Marinette for a couple of weeks. Will she find out that Marinette is in fact Ladybug?(AU where everyone in Marinette and Adrien's class has a Miraculous. Numerous relationships MarixAdrien, AlyaxNino, JulekaxRose, ChloexSabrina, KimxAlix, IvanxMylène, etc)





	1. Ice Cold

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! It’s time for us to find out what kind of adventure awaits our miraculous heroes. Just like the other previous stories, this one will have funny moments, and serious moments as well. Plus, I’ve done a ton of research about the city and its landmarks, in order not to do some mistake. And of course, let us not forget that we’ll have more of our favourite ships, mainly MarinettexAdrien, ChloéxSabrina, RosexJuleka, AlyaxNino, KimxAlix and IvanxMylene. In the previous adventure, we dealt with Reptile, now, it’s time to let him lick his wounds and let Madame Romani do Hawk Moth’s bidding for a while. And now, on with the show…

Pain. That was what Volpina was feeling, after she was tossed like a ragdoll, hitting a wall and then falling on the ground. When she thought of a relaxing afternoon, the brunette thought of going shopping with one of her friends, spending time with her boyfriend, or even working on the Miraculous Blog. What she did not think was that that afternoon was going to be particularly eventful, in the worse kind of way, with another Akuma attack. She had just come to the Le Grand Paris hotel to get a book she had lent to Chloé, so she could do a work for English class, and ended up staying to deal with an akuma that showed up out of nowhere, freezing the whole place. The whole building had been turned into a giant popsicle, with its guests trapped in icy prisons. The akuma responsible for all that was named Blizzard. His skin looked white as snow, while his eyes were icy-blue, matching the colour of his spiky hairdo. As for his clothes, he was wearing an armless black jumpsuit with an icy-blue snowflake stamped on the chest, and matching boots. He had started by attacking everyone that was on the street, but when Volpina, Queen Bee and Louve Grise showed up in front of the hotel to stop him, he took the fighting towards the inside of the hotel.       

As she got up from the floor, she quickly looked around to see just how bad things were, while remembering how that all had started.

(Flashback)

_Alya was looking at the time, as she waited for Chloé to come back with her book. As the seconds went by, she cursed her poor luck. The reason she was there was because Miss Bustier had asked the whole class to do a work on a book of their own choice for English class. There were only two rules. One, they would have to write at least 10 pages, not counting the cover and the bibliography. And second, they could not use the Internet to do it. Their teacher was very adamant about the second one, and told them that she would know if they used the Internet to do the work, and that if that happened, she would give them an F. The reason why she wanted this, was for her class to experience what was like doing a job when there was no Internet._

_While discussing which would be the book she was going to talk about in her work to Marinette, she let it slip that her dad had an old copy of A Christmas Carol from when he went to school, which he filled with notes on the margins to help him study it. Chloé, who had already decided she was going to do her work on that book, heard Alya about it, and immediately asked her to lend it just for a day or two. Initially, Alya told her no, but the more she told her no, the more Chloé begged her to lent it, saying that she needed it as a starting point for her work. Finally, she told her she would lend it to her, on the condition that she would give it back without a single scratch on it._

_And Chloé took good care of it, as if it was her own book, using it to start her work. The trouble was, on the day she was supposed to bring it with her to give it back to Alya, she forgot it on her desk. That upset Alya, but the worst was yet to come. Chloé apologized to her, but instead of telling her that she would take it to her place, later after class, she told her that she could come by the hotel and take her with her. And that was exactly what she was doing in Chloé’s suite, right then._

_“Here it is, Alya.” -Chloé chirped happily, as she handed her the book. Just like she had told the brunette, Chloé had been extra careful with it, and the book looked just like she had lent it._

_“Thanks, Chloé.” -Alya told her, as she placed the book in her backpack._

_“I’m the one who should be thanking you. That book has saved me a lot of hours in the library, researching for what to write about it._

_“Just remember, that you still need to make a little bit of research to choose what books you’re going to put on the work’s bibliography, okay?” -Alya said._

_“I know, I know. Sabrina told me the same thing.” -Chloé declared._

_“By the way, where’s Sabrina? She told me that she was going to spend the afternoon with you, and that you were going shopping together.”_

_“Oh, she’s probably on the balcony getting some air. She and Mika decided to do a food contest to see who could eat more wasabi without complaining about the heat, and let’s just say that it ended in a tie, with the two of them needing some fresh air.”_

_Chloé had just finished saying that, when she and Alya heard Sabrina calling for the blonde. By the tone of her voice, the girls understood that there was something going on. When they got to the balcony, Sabrina was still as red as a pepper from her little food contest with her kwami, and she looked worried. Mika, her kwami also looked agitated._

_“What’s the matter, Sabrina?” -Chloé asked her, seeing her so nervous._

_“We got trouble!” -Mika shouted._

_“And we mean big! Look down there!” -Sabrina exclaimed, pointing to something that was taking place below, in the street._

_Looking out from the balcony, they saw a strange white figure wearing black that was turning everything and everyone it saw into ice. But more importantly, they saw who was accompanying him, one of Hawk Moth’s lieutenants, Madame Romani._

_“An akuma… just what we needed!” -Chloé said sarcastically._

_“And look who’s right beside him!” -Alya pointed out to Romani. –“As if that guy wasn’t going to give us enough trouble, that gypsy witch is going to make it even harder for us to focus on him, with her illusions.”_

_“It’s a good thing we’ve got you by our side.” -Sabrina told Alya._

_“Thanks, but we’re going to need help to take down this guy.” -Alya sighed. Just by looking at him, he was still getting used to his powers, and that was a good thing. It meant that if they were fast, they could take him down before he learned how to properly use them against them. –“Let’s call everyone, and tell them to come here.”_

_“Okay, let me just get my phone and wake up Pollen. She’s taking a nap.” -Chloé told her, as she went back inside. –“I’ll call Adrien, Rose and Kim.”_

_“I’ll call Alix, Juleka, Max and Mylene.” -_

_“Alright. Then, I’ll call Nino, Nathaniel, Ivan and Marinette.” -Alya said, as she too went back into Chloé’s suite to grab her cell phone from her backpack, and to wake up Trixx, who had fallen asleep after lunch. –“Wake up, sleepyhead, we got work to do!” -she called out Trixx, who woke up._

_“W-Work? What work?” -Trixx poked her head off the backpack, still a little sleepy._

_“We’ve got an akuma. Get ready!” -Alya said, as she began calling Nino._

_It did not take them long to reach everyone and telling them what was going on. They all told them that they would be there as soon as they could, and for the three of them to hold the fort, until they got there._

_“Do you think the three of us can handle this, just by ourselves?” -Sabrina asked the girls._

_“Only one way to find out.” -Alya answered her._

_“Then what are we waiting for?” -Chloé asked them. She was eager to see some action. After spending the last couple of days cooped up in her room doing nothing but homework, she was desperately needing to kick some butt._

_“You guys, ready?” -Alya asked the three kwamis, who were floating next to her._

_“Of course!” -Mika told them._

_“Then, let’s do this! Mika, transforme moi!” -Sabrina exclaimed._

_“Pollen, transforme moi!” -Chloé exclaimed._

_“Trixx, transforme moi!” -Alya exclaimed._

(End of flashback)

The foyer looked like the inside of an iceberg, and everyone caught in it was frozen solid. Aside from her, the only other members of the Miraculous Team that had not been frozen were Louve Grise, Queen Bee and Panda Rouge. And to matters worse, there was still no sign of Ladybug, who should have showed up a long time ago. The others had been able to get there in a jiffy, but not her. She had told Volpina she was in the middle of an errand with her mother and that she was going to arrive a little later than the others.

“ _Come on, Ladybug, where are you?_ ” -she asked herself.

(Flashback)

_Alya had just finished calling Ivan, notifying of what was going on. There was only one more person for her to notify, and that was her best friend, and the leader of the Miraculous Team, Marinette. Sliding the numbers on her phone, she punched hers and waited for her to pick up._

_“Come on, girl, pick up the phone!” -Alya thought to herself._

_The phone kept ringing and ringing, and Alya was beginning to believe that Marinette was not going to pick up. She was about to hung up, when she heard the distinct sound of the call being answered._

_“Hello, Alya!” -Marinette said from the other side of the line._

_“Girl, what were you doing?! Don’t tell me you turned off the sound of your ringtone?” -Alya asked her friend._

_“N-No, I was just helping my mom with something.” -Marinette told her. –“Why, what’s going on?” -she asked her._

_“We’ve got a code red, right here at the Grand Paris.” -Alya answered her._

_“A code red? You mean…”_

_“Yeah, an akuma is causing mayhem around here, and we need you.” -Alya declared._

_“Well… it’s just that, I’m really in the middle of something and I can’t let my mom alone.” -Marinette told her. She hated to tell her that, but she really could not let her alone this time._

_“Girl, you’re the only one of us who can use the Ampulla Amulet, not to mention that you’re our leader. We won’t be able to do this, without you.” -Alya told her. –“I’m sure that whatever you’re doing with your mother is important, but if you don’t get here to help us, this guy is going to cause major trouble.” -she practically begged her._

_“Okay, I’ll try, but it might take me a while to get there, okay?” -Marinette told her._

_“I understand. Just hurry up, okay?” -Alya asked with a sweet and kind voice. She did not want Marinette to feel pressured about it._

_“I will try, trust me.” -Marinette said, as she hung up._

(End of flashback)

There was still no sign of her, and they were running out of tricks. Plus, now that he had frozen most of the team, Blizzard was preparing himself to get out of there and cause even more damage. Seeing him freeze one of Panda Rouge’s legs to the ground, made it clear that they needed to come up with a way to take him down quickly. And that would be difficult, because Queen Bee and Jade Turtle were busy fending off against Madame Romani, whose illusions were giving them more than they could chew. She was basically on her own.

“There has to be a way to get this guy to stop using his powers… but how?” -Volpina asked herself. –“Come on, you know this place relatively well. Your mom works here, so you at least know where to go…” -she told herself, as she visualized the hotel’s schematics in her head. –“There might be a way… I don’t know if it will work, but I’m going to need Panda’s help.” 

Charging against Blizzard, who was about to freeze Panda’s other leg, without this one being able to move, she took advantage of the villain’s lack of interest in her. Swinging her flute staff against him, she hit him on the head, while casting a small illusion, that made him think he was seeing spiders crawling up his body. This gave her time to help Panda out of that tight jam.

“Thanks…” -Panda said, as he quickly drew a sledge hammer, so Volpina could break the ice around his leg with it. –“Hurry, use this to get me out of here.”

“Alright, here it goes!” -Volpina exclaimed as she swung the hammer against the ice, breaking it. –“Are you okay? -she asked, as she let go of the hammer, to check if her friend was alright.

“I’m okay. Just really cold.”

“Are you sure? Your leg’s alright?”

“I’m okay, don’t worry.” -Panda told her. –“What did you to him?”

“A simple fear illusion, but it won’t last long.” -Volpina told him.

“Tell me, you got a plan.” -Panda asked her.

“I do, and I’m going to need your help to make it happen.” -Volpina smiled.

But before she could tell him what she had in her mind, Blizzard attacked them, by firing an ice beam from both his hands. Jumping out of the way, they dodged the ice beam just in the nick of time, with each one of them having thrown themselves into the ground in opposite directions. Panda Rouge ended up falling on top of a snowy mound, while Volpina had to use her staff to prevent herself from colliding with a frozen piece of furniture. Seeing that she had been the one who had made him believe he was being attacked by spiders, which were crawling up his body, Blizzard decided that she would be the next to be frozen. Smirking evilly at her, he walked towards Volpina. To make sure he would not be interrupted this time, he fired another ice beam at Panda Rouge, and froze his legs and his drawing hand.

“Don’t go anywhere… after I’m finished with your friend, I’ll take care of you.” -Blizzard shouted at Panda Rouge, who saw himself unable to help Volpina.

“Crud!” -Panda Rouge cursed his luck.

“And now, how am I going to freeze you?” -Blizzard asked out loud, as Volpina tried to get back on her feet, only to be stopped by the villain, who shot an ice beam at her, forcing her drop on her knees. –“You got spunk, I’ll give you that.”

She wanted to create another illusion that would help her get out of that tight squeeze, but she could not clear her mind in order to do it.

“I’m not scared of you.” -Volpina told him, trying to gain some time, so she could clear her thoughts and use one of her illusions on him.

“But you should be, because after I turn you into a popsicle, I’m going to do the same with your friend over there, as well as your two other friends, the bee and the wolf, once I find them, of course.” -Blizzard said with a menacing voice, as he raised his left arm and got ready to turn Volpina into ice cubes.

As he was about to fire an ice beam at the fox heroine, something hit him on the face. Something smooth and round. Something red and black. Something like… a yo-yo; a yo-yo that belonged to none other than the scarlet heroine, Ladybug. The impact from the small yo-yo, was enough to make him howl in pain, as he covered his nose with both his hands.

“Why don’t you pick on someone your own size, you, big ice bully?!” -Ladybug told Blizzard, as her yo-yo returned to her.

It had not been easy for her to be there, given what she was doing before. But that did not matter, right then. All that mattered was taking that guy down, before someone else got hurt.

(Flashback)

_Going out shopping with your mother could either be the best thing in the world, or it could be the worst thing in the world, depending if you are a boy or a girl. If you are a boy, then it will most likely be the worst thing in the world, because your mother will drag you to every single store to try out something she thinks is cute or that will match some shirt or dress she already has, while you could be somewhere else, doing things that seem incredibly more interesting. But, if you are a girl, and a girl who happens to love fashion, then going out shopping with your mother is the best thing in the world… and for Marinette, it definitely was the best thing in the world._

_She had gone shopping with her mother, Sabine, for a brand-new dress for her to wear on a party she and her husband, Tom, had been invited to. A gentleman can always take the same suit for a different party, but when it came a to a lady, it was always expected for her to wear a different dress each party, and Sabine agreed with that rule. But on that day, she was having difficulties in finding something that suited her. All the dresses she tried on were either too fancy or too plain. Still, she had Marinette to give her a second opinion, just in case._

_“I don’t know, Marinette… this one seems too simple.” -Sabine told her daughter, as she looked her in the mirror. She was wearing a_

_“I kind of like it.” -Marinette told her. –“It’s simple, but it’s beautiful with those frills.”_

_“Maybe, but… I already have one that is so much like this one.” -Sabine sighed. She had already decided in her mind that she was not going to take it. –“I’m starting to wonder if your dad wasn’t right, when he said that I should take one of the other dresses I already have.”_

_“Mom, I know you and I know that you only say those things, when you can’t find something you like.” -Marinette giggled. –“That dress looks really pretty on you, but if you don’t like it, then, we can keep looking for the perfect dress.” -she told her._

_“I’m really lucky in having you to help me with these things, Marinette.” -Sabine told her. –“If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have anyone to come with me shopping.”_

_“Oh, mom, you know that’s not true.” -Marinette smiled. –“But thanks for saying it.”_

_“I mean it. You’re the best fashion adviser I could ask for.” -Sabine told her daughter, making her blush lightly with all that praising. –“Now, come on, let’s go and try finding me a dress.”_

_They went to another two stores, and there was nothing that Sabine would say was perfect. If the dinner was not the day after, Marinette would even made her a dress herself. Sabine had entered the changing rooms to try on a dress Marinette had picked for her, when the girl’s cell phone began to ring. Opening her backpack, she began looking for it, eventually waking up Tikki, who had decided to take a nap. In the end, it was her kwami who found her phone and gave it to her. Looking at the screen, she saw Alya’s name on it._

_“Hello, Alya!” -Marinette said._

_“Girl, what were you doing?! Don’t tell me you turned off the sound of your ringtone?” -Alya asked her friend, from the other side of the line._

_“N-No, I was just helping my mom with something.” -Marinette told her. –“Why, what’s going on?” -she asked her._

_“We’ve got a code red, right here at the Grand Paris.” -Alya answered her._

_“A code red? You mean…”_

_“Yeah, an akuma is causing mayhem around here, and we need you.” -Alya declared._

_“Well… it’s just that, I’m really in the middle of something and I can’t let my mom alone.” -Marinette told her. She hated to tell her that, but she really could not let her alone this time._

_“Girl, you’re the only one of us who can use the Ampulla Amulet, not to mention that you’re our leader. We won’t be able to do this, without you.” -Alya told her. –“I’m sure that whatever you’re doing with your mother is important, but if you don’t get here to help us, this guy is going to cause major trouble.” -she practically begged her._

_“Okay, I’ll try, but it might take me a while to get there, okay?” -Marinette told her._

_“I understand. Just hurry up, okay?” -Alya asked with a sweet and kind voice. She did not want Marinette to feel pressured about it._

_“I will try, trust me.” -Marinette said, as she hung up._

_Hanging up, Marinette cursed her luck. She knew she had to go and help the others, but she did not want to leave her mom alone, when she had asked her to come shopping with her. Plus, what was she going to tell her to convince her to let her go and save the city? She could not tell her the truth._

_“What am I going to tell mom?”-Marinette said softly._

_“Can’t you tell her that Alya needs you to go to school to help her finish a work for tomorrow’s class?” -Tikki, who had hidden back in Marinette’s backpack, suggested to her._

_“I don’t know if it will work, Tikki.” -Marinette whispered back at her. –“I don’t think my mom would fall for something like that.”_

_“Marinette?! Marinette?!” -Sabine called her from the changing room._

_“Yeah, mom?”-Marinette answered her._

_“Who was calling you?” -she asked Marinette. She had recognized her daughter’s ringtone._

_“It was Alya.” -the blue haired girl replied._

_“Oh, I see. Why was she calling you?”_

_“She was calling to…” -Marinette hesitated for a second. –“… to ask me if I could meet her in the school’s library to help her with a work we have to present in two days.” -she came up with that story._

_“Oh, and what did you yell her? I hope you told her that you would go help her right away.” -Sabine told her._

_When she heard her mom say that, Marinette could hardly believe she had heard her saying it. She truly believed she would tell her that she could not go and help her, and that she had to stay and help her choosing a dress for that important party._

_“You… You don’t mind if I go and help her? Is that what you’re saying?” -Marinette asked her, still processing what she had heard her mother saying._

_“Of course, sweetie. Just like you, I know Alya for years and I know that she wouldn’t call you, if she wasn’t really needing your help on that work” -Sabine told her._

_“B-But what about you?”_

_“Don’t worry about me. I can pick a new dress alone. Just go and help her. You don’t want to leave your best-friend waiting, do you?” -Sabine told Marinette._

_Thanking her lucky stars, Marinette decided not to argue with her mother on that matter. Grabbing her things, she promised Sabine that as soon as they were finished, she would go straight home. Kissing her goodbye, Sabine reminded her that she was going to babysit Manon that night, and should not come home too late._

_“Don’t worry, I’ll arrive home, before Manon does.” -Marinette promised her._

_Now, the only thing that was preventing her from helping her team, was the distance between there and the Le Grand Paris. Checking her phone for the quickest route there, she then tried to find a place where she could change into her Ladybug costume. Using her phone once more, she checked the list of places where she could transform without risking anyone seeing her she had made, to see if there was one nearby. She had to walk an entire block to get to the closest one, but at least on that place, she was sure she would not be seen transforming. The alley way was secluded and there were no windows on the buildings that made it. The only bad thing about it was the awful smell of garbage in the air. Still, if she could go up against any akuma, she could make an effort to not think about the smell._

_“I still can’t believe my mom let me go that easily, Tikki.” -Marinette told her, as she opened her backpack, and let the scarlet kwami get out._

_“Well, your mom cares about you and your education.” -Tikki told her, as she got out of the backpack. –“She wouldn’t want you to do bad in school.”_

_“You’re right. Sometimes I forget that my mom wants the best for me.” -Marinette confessed her. –“Well, anyways, are you ready for this?” -she asked Tikki, with a smile._

_“Let me just finish eating this cookie, and I’m set to go.” -Tikki smiled, as she finished eating a chocolate cookie she was holding in her tiny little hands._

_“Okay. Then let’s do this… Tikki, transforme moi!” -Marinette exclaimed._

(End of flashback)

Still howling in pain from the Ladybug’s attack with her yo-yo, Blizzard tried to ignore the pain he was in, as he heard the voice of Hawk Moth in his head. The villain had been watching the whole thing from his hideout, using the mirror in his private chambers.  

“What are you waiting for? Kill her!!!”

Hearing Hawk Moth’s order, Blizzard used his ice beam power to propel himself towards where Ladybug was. Seeing him coming at an incredible speed, she did not flinch, standing her guard. He stopped just a few feet away from her. Smirking at her, fired various kinds of ice projectiles against her. Seeing it, she threw herself to her left, performing several cartwheels, avoiding the sharp projectiles. Not giving Blizzard the chance to launch another attack at her, she used her yo-yo and stroke him directly on his knees and on his head, which made him howl in pain.  

“Come on! Even Sub-Zero has better aim than you, and he’s a videogame character!” -Ladybug joked about it. She was trying to buy some time to know what to do next. The only ones who were there were Volpina and Panda Rouge, and she was wondering what had happened to the rest of the team. But to know that, she was going to need a couple of moments alone with them.

Dodging yet another attack from the akumatized villain, Ladybug felt that there was only one way for her to get some privacy with her friends, and that was to keep Blizzard occupied for a little while. Signalling Volpina, by using a signal code the two of them had devised for such occasions, she asked her to create an illusion to keep him occupied for a little while.

Doing as she was told, Volpina focused her mind on producing such illusion. This time, instead of spiders, she made Blizzard believe that he was being attacked by several different snakes, which were wrapping around him. Unknown to the fox heroine, Blizzard suffered from Ophidiophobia, or fear of snakes, and though he knew that was only an illusion, his irrational fear of those creatures made him lose his grip. Taking advantage of this, Ladybug used her luck power to see where the ice in that part of the foyer was frailer, and with her yo-yo, she hit those frailer spots, shattering the ice, and creating a barrier, she hoped, would provide her with the time to know what was going on.   

“Took you long enough to get here.” -Volpina said, with a smile on her face.  

“The traffic was a mess.” -Ladybug joked, as she approached Panda Rouge. –“Are you okay?”

“More or less… I’ve got my hand frozen.” -Panda pointed out.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be free in a minute.” -Volpina said, as she went to grab the sledge hammer. –“Let’s just hope I don’t break your arm, while doing it.”

“Try hitting it gently, okay? If you crack the ice, I might be able to break the rest myself.” –Panda declared.

“Okay.” -Volpina waved her head.

“Where are the others? Don’t tell me I was the first one to get here.” -Ladybug asked them, not seeing signs of anyone else.

“N-No… the others were frozen by that guy. Aside from us two, only Queen Bee and Louve Grise are still free.” -Panda told her, as Volpina hit the ice covering his hand and gently as possible, cracking it. –“Though, we don’t know exactly in which floor they are… the last we heard of them, they were fighting Madame Romani… okay, that’s enough, I think I can shatter it now.” -he said, as broke the ice, releasing his hand. –“Okay, now for the legs, please.”

“How did this happen?!” -the scarlet heroine asked them.

“Let’s just say that none of us is used to fight in such closed spaces.” -Volpina told Ladybug.

And she was right. All the training they did was useless. They were used to fighting akumas and Hawk Moth’s minions on the outside, with lots of space. Even the tent where their fight against Haute Couture started was a little bigger than the hotel’s ceilings. This was the first time they faced one of the akumas indoors, and the result could not be clearer: they needed to rethink their whole training, to make sure they would be able to take down enemies indoors just as easily as on the street.  

“Did you try to unfreeze the others?” -Ladybug asked him. She was worried about her other friends.

“Too busy, trying to stay out of that guy’s way.” -Panda admitted, embarrassed about not having done that.

“We’ve got to stop this guy. Please tell me you’ve got a plan, because I really don’t have one myself.” -the scarlet heroine declared.

“Don’t worry. Like I told him, I do have one.” -Volpina told her.

“Good. I can try and go unfreeze the others to help us out, as soon as the blood in my legs begins to pump again.” -Panda warned her.

“No time for that.” -Volpina told him, as she heard Blizzard using his powers to destroy the barrier created by Ladybug a couple of minutes before. The illusion she had casted on him should have ended. –“That guy’s going to come through that barrier at any moment, so will have to do this, just the three of us. The plan is simple, and if it works, it will put him out of commission for good.” 

“Then, lay it on us, girl. What do we need to do?” -Ladybug asked her.

* * *

While Volpina explained her plan to Ladybug and Panda Rouge, three stories above, in the hotel’s grand ballroom, Queen Bee and Louve Grise had their hands full with Madame Romani. The gypsy witch had chosen the girls as her targets, after Queen Bee failed to stop Blizzard from freezing her father, Mayor André Bourgeois. She began by toying with them, making them go after her. She did not know why, but she felt like they would be the perfect duo to play with, before eliminating them herself. Blizzard could take care of the rest of the Miraculous Team, just like Hawk Moth had instructed him, when he akumatized him. She would play with them, the same way a cat plays with a mouse, and when she tired herself of it, she would do the same thing the cat does to a mouse… she would kill them.

The freezing grand ballroom looked like something taken out of a fairy tale, but not a particularly happy one. The ceiling, the walls, the floor, even the furniture, was covered in a thick layer of ice. On the ceiling, ice stalagmites, as well as the huge chandelier that was now covered in ice, looked like they could break at any given moment and fall on their heads. On the ground, they had to be careful not to trip over tumbled tables and chairs, as well as the frozen floor.  

“You girls are looking tired.” -Madame Romani said. –“Don’t tell me that two of the greatest heroes in this city don’t have enough strength to take me on?” -she mocked the two heroines, who were starting to get tired of that cat and mouse game.

“We still have more than enough strength to take you down, you vile witch!” -Louve Grise told her, as she used her fan to create ice shards, throwing them at Madame Romani, who was revealed to be nothing more than an illusion. The real Romani was hiding in the shadows of the frozen ballroom. –“Come on out, or are you chicken?!”

“You want me to come out?” -Madame Romani asked her, with a mocking voice. –“Fine, I’ll come out… but don’t think I’ll tell you where exactly I am. You’ll have to guess.”

That said, multiple copies of Madame Romani appeared all over the ballroom, looking at the girls, and laughing at them. The woman believed she had the upper hand, thinking she had confused the two of them.

“Multiple copies? Now she’s just copying Flamingo’s ability.” -Queen Bee said.

“So? Can you figure out where I am? Or better yet, which one of us is the real me?” -Romani asked them, mocking them. –“Come on, I dare you.”

“I don’t know about you, but I think it’s time we end this.” -Queen Bee whispered at Louve Grise.

“Are you thinking, what I’m thinking?” -Louve Grise asked her.

“You better believe I am.” -Queen Bee declared in a whisper.

“Can you control your tornadoes in such a closed space?” -Louve Grise asked. She knew her friend’s control over her powers had increased significantly with training, but she had never tried to make one indoors.

“Only one way to find out.” -Queen Bee told her. –“Hang on to my waist, Louve. This witch is about to know what it means to have a hair-raising experience.” -she smiled. Madame Romani was in for a surprise, she was not going to like at all.   


	2. Burning Hot

Smirking, Queen Bee got ready to finish what Madame Romani had started, when she decided to play hide and seek with her and Louve Grise. She knew that that plan of hers could backfire on them, but she was feeling confident on her powers and her ability to control them. Having her best friend by her side, also gave her an extra boost in her confidence. Grabbing her trompo and placing it on her left hand, she focused on it and ordered it to start spinning. Once this gained enough speed, she threw it into the ground, and ordered it to spin even faster, generating a gust of wind, which began evolving into a small tornado, making things fly. The chandelier that seemed like it could fall at any given moment, started to rock and ended up detaching itself from the ceiling, breaking itself into hundreds of pieces, which flew through the air. Chairs and tables were also taken from where they were by the wind, which as the seconds passed, began to blow with further strength.

Feeling a little afraid that Bee would not be able to control it, Louve placed her arms around her friend’s waist, holding her as hard as she could. Her heart raced, as she saw the furniture being turned into rubble by the tornado Queen Bee was creating inside the ballroom. As it picked up strength, the debris carried by the spinning wind knocked down all of Madame Romani’s doubles she had created, making them disappear. One by one, they evaporated into thin air, until there was only one left, the real Madame Romani, who tried not to get hit by the debris. Once she saw her moving around the ballroom, Queen Bee ordered the tornado to spin even faster, but only fast enough to suck the villainess into its core, where she and Louve Grise were waiting for her.

“Get ready! She’s about to come through there!” -Queen Bee told Louve Grise, pointing out to the place in the tornado she was going to sprung from.

“Okay!” -Louve waved her head in acknowledgement.

She tried to run from it, but there was no way she was going to escape the inevitable. The centrifugal force was so powerful, that Romani had to hold onto one of the room’s marble columns, just so she would not be pulled into the tornado’s core right then. Using every bit of strength, she had, she dug her fingers into the ice-covered marble, hoping that would be enough to get sucked.   

“You’ve got to slow down the tornado! If you make it go faster, you’re going to destroy the whole ballroom!” -Louve warned her, as she heard the windows breaking, and more and more debris slamming against the walls of that room. She feared that without wanting to, Queen Bee would lose control of the tornado, and ended up destroying the whole hotel in the process.  

“Just a little more, so she gets sucked into here. I’ve got this under control!” -Queen Bee told the redhead. –“As soon as she gets sucked in, I’ll disperse it.” -she declared.

And a few seconds later, Madame Romani lost her grip and was sucked into the tornado, bringing with her a small chunk of marble with her. Like she said, as soon as Romani was inside the tornado’s core, Queen Been ordered the trompo to stop spinning, dispersing the tornado. Hitting the ground pretty hard, she nearly lost consciousness. Having used most of her strength just to not get sucked by the wind, Madame Romani was right then, as docile as a kitten. If Queen Bee and Louve Grise wanted to teach her lesson the hard way, they could do it, without having to worry about 

“Looks like we got you, right where we wanted you.” -Queen Bee smirked at the villainess, who remained on the floor.

“It’s game over for you, you witch!” -Louve Grise told her, as she kneeled to Romani’s left. –“What are we going to do with you, huh?”

“I vote that we freeze her.” -Queen Bee said. –“I mean, she did bring an akuma who turned this place into an iceberg and froze most of our friends, turning them into ice statues. It’s only fair that she ends up the same way.”

“I agree.” -Louve declared.

“Y-You won’t get away w-with this… Blizzard will take care of y-you, and then… my master will use your skulls to drink your blood!” -Madame Romani yelled at them. She just wanted to get up on her feet and purge their minds with illusions of their worst nightmares, but without a shred of strength in her body, that was not going to happen, no matter how much she wished for it.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah…. We know just how bad and evil your boss is, yakkety yak.” -Queen Bee mocked her. –“Let me ask you something. If your boss is so evil and powerful, then, why doesn’t he show up and take care of us himself? Afraid of dirtying his precious gloves that he needs to rely on idiots like you to do his dirty work for him?” -she went on, insulting Hawk Moth in front of Romani’s face. She could see the hate in the woman’s eyes, burning like wildfire.

“D-Don’t you dare talk like that about my master, little girl! He’ll peel the skin out of your muscles for those insults!”

“I’ll talk about that psychopath you call master, anyway I want to, you hear me?” -Queen Bee told her in a cold tone. She was not going to let her scare her with those vain menaces. –“And you know what? I’m tired of hearing your voice… Louve, please, freeze her.” -she asked her friend.

“With pleasure.” -Louve Grise said, as she used her ice breath to freeze her. At first, Madame Romani still tried to move, in a futile attempt to avoid being frozen, but it was a waste of her time. Louve’s ice breath was so powerful that in a matter of seconds, Madame Romani looked like a fly inside an ice cube. –“There, she won’t bother us again.”

“Good… I was starting to get tired of hearing her say nothing but crazy stuff.” -Queen Bee told her. Romani was just like every bully out there, all bark and no bite. Somehow, it reminded her of just how she herself used to

“So, what do we do now?” -Louve Grise asked her.

“That Blizzard is still down there, I’m sure of it. And I don’t know if Ladybug has showed up or not, so, we might be the only the ones who can stop it, if there is no one else.” -Queen Bee answered her. –“Come on!”

* * *

Downstairs, Blizzard had destroyed the barrier separating them from Ladybug, Volpina and Panda Rouge, and was now getting ready to freeze them, as he hears Hawk Moth’s voice in his head once more, berating orders and menaces.

“ _Madame Romani has failed me! You better not fail me… you managed to take down most of those infernal kids. Now, take down the rest and bring me their heads, after you destroy their miraculouses, of course!_ ” -Hawk Moth told him.

“Yes, Hawk Moth. I won’t fail you.” -he said, as he restarted his attack on the young heroes.

Things looked like they were looking bad for heroes, but the truth was, they had a plan and Blizzard was going down.

“Come on, over here!” -Ladybug waved at him. –“Come on, ice breath! Give me your best shot!”

Hearing her say that, Blizzard focused his whole energy in a single shot. Firing it, he ended up creating a long, sharp stalagmite in mid-air, which he used to try and impale Ladybug with. Dodging it, she kept mocking him, doing her best to make him follow her. He was so focused on getting Ladybug, that he failed to realize that she was alone If he had noticed it, he would have asked himself is he was being led into a trap.

Not far from there, Volpina and Panda Rouge were getting ready for the next part of the plan. Unlike what most people thought, Queen Bee was not the only one in Miss Bustier’s class who knew Le Grand Paris like the back of her hand. Volpina also knew her way around the hotel, thanks to her mother, Marlena Césaire, who worked as a chef at the restaurant of the Le Grand Paris. Having visited her at her work, more times than she could remember, she knew exactly how to get to the hotel’s kitchen, which was where the last part of her plan would take place.

The kitchen itself was absolutely frozen, from top to bottom. If one was to describe how it looked, it would probably compare it to the inside of a freezer. The place was deserted. The staff must have heard the commotion of when Blizzard entered the hotel and began to freeze it, and decided to see what was going on, ending up turned into human popsicles. Volpina thanked the fact that on that day, her mother was back home, enjoying her day-off. She could only imagine how awful it would have been, if she was working. Still, she tried not to think about it, and concentrated on the task at hand.

“Okay, we got here. So, what exactly you want me to do?” -Panda asked her. Volpina had only told him and Ladybug half of her plan, which was Ladybug distracting Blizzard, so the two of them could get to the kitchen. 

“Alright, let me just check one thing here.” -she said, as she approached the large ovens that were to her left. Her mother told her that when she was hired by André Bourgeois, the first thing she told him was that if he wanted the restaurant of the Le Grand Paris to be among the top 5 restaurants in Paris, he would have to make a few changes in the kitchen, starting with the appliances. She made him buy state-of-the-art ovens, fridges, among other things, stating that in order to be the best, they would need the best. And those ovens were the best money could buy. She said that they could roast a goose or a turkey in a matter of minutes with them. –“Yes, these here are just what we need.”

“I still don’t understand where you’re going with this.”

“You see these ovens here?” -Volpina pointed to the ovens, which were now covered in ice. –“These ovens are incredibly powerful… I want you to draw one, exactly like this one, but bigger.”

“Bigger? How big are we talking about?” -Panda asked her.

“Big enough to fit a full-grown man inside.” -Volpina told him. –“And make it even more powerful than these are.”

“I still don’t get it where you’re going with this. What are you going to do with a huge oven? Cook a meal for Blizzard and hope he stops?”

“No! We’re going put him inside and make him sweat, like he was in a sauna.” -Volpina explained him.

“A sauna?”

“Yes. You see, he has ice powers that allow him to freeze whatever he wants to. But, what happens when you put an ice cube inside an oven? It melts…” -Volpina said.

“So, you want to melt him?” -Panda asked her, puzzled.

“No, I want to make him use his powers until he drops from exhaustion. He may be an akuma, but part of him is still human, and that’s the part I want to hit as hard as we can. If he drops from exhaustion, we’ll just have to pick the akuma butterfly from inside of him, and its game, set and match, for us.” -she explained her plan.          

“I see.” -Panda understood. –“But, how are you going to make him enter the oven? It’s not like he’s just going to go in on his own.”

“Just leave that to me. While you do this, I’ll go help Ladybug out entertain him a bit longer, while setting up a couple of illusions to bring him here, without him realizing what we have planned for him.” -Volpina told him. –“And one more thing, be ready for when he enters the kitchen. You might have to shove him inside the oven.”

“Alright, understood. I’ll start drawing, right away.” -Panda Rouge said, as he looked at the ovens and saw how he was going to draw a bigger version of one of them for their plan.

* * *

When they reached the foyer, Queen Bee and Louve Grise did not see anyone, and wondered if while they were dealing with Madame Romani, Blizzard had managed to freeze the rest of the team. When they went after Romani, Volpina, Panda Rouge, Grizzly Bear and Corbeau Noire were fighting against him, but now, they did not see any sign of them. Looking around, they quickly saw Grizzly and Corbeau frozen solid against one of the walls, and feared the worst.

“Do you think we’re the only ones left?” -Louve asked Queen Bee, when they heard a loud sound coming nearby.

“I think that answers your question.” -Queen Bee answered her. –“It came from over there. Come on.”

Turning left and entering one of the hotel’s event rooms, they saw Ladybug fighting against Blizzard on her own, in a room which could be considered a winter wonderland, due to the amount of snow and ice that was on the ceiling and floor. The only things that were missing was a few trees and a couple of frozen snowmen to make the room feel like something taken of out of a children’s fantasy book or a Disney attraction. Seeing their leader was having a little difficulty keeping up with the bad guy’s attacks, Bee and Louve decided to give her hand.

“Is this a private party, or can anyone join in?” -Queen Bee said, as she attacked Blizzard from behind, kicking him on the back. This attack made him fall on his face, giving Ladybug a chance to get out of the corner he had cornered her in.   

“Where have you girls’ been?”

“Taking care of a certain witch.” -Queen Bee answered her. –“And you, what took you so long to get here? I thought that being the leader, meant that you would set an example and arrive before everyone else:” -she joked.

“Well, I may be the leader but that doesn’t… watch out!” -Ladybug said as she pushed her out of the way of an ice beam. –“Like I was saying, that doesn’t I’m perfect or anything.” -she smiled.

“So, what’s the plan?” -Louve Grise asked her. –“You must have a plan to take care of this guy, whose powers are a sad pitiful version of my own.”

“Pitiful version?!” -Blizzard yelled at Louve Grise. –“I’ll show you who has the pitiful powers here, girly!” -he exclaimed, as he created spiked ice balls and began throwing them at the wolf heroine, who used her fan to shatter them.

“So, what about the plan?” -Queen Bee asked her.

“Plan’s not mine, it’s Volpina’s… and speaking of the devil, she has arrived.” -Ladybug exclaimed, as she saw her friend entering the room. Using her powers, she had come up with some pretty impressive illusions that would give them the upper hand in that last round, and now, she had come to get Ladybug, being surprised by seeing Louve Grise and Queen Bee as well.

“Hey, you!!! You know what you are? You’re a big bully, picking on only one of us at the time!” -Volpina yelled at Blizzard. She had noticed that he had a short temper, and was going to use that to their advantage.

“You think I can’t handle all of you at the same time?!” -Blizzard shouted at her, focusing his attention on Volpina, and allowing Louve to get away from him. 

“Then, come and get us!” -Volpina dared him, as the other three headed to the door and out of the room.

She had not finished that sentence, when Blizzard shot an ice beam at her, missing her by just a couple of inches. Furious with himself for having failed, he rushed to grab them and freeze them. Then, only Panda Rouge would remain. Firing everything he had against them, he was confident that he would be able to get them in a matter of minutes. Still, though they were fleeing from him, the four heroines were by no means afraid of him. And they displayed their courage, by throwing all kinds of attacks against him.

As they turned right, Blizzard felt that something was not right. He did not know what it was, but something was not right. The corridor they were in, it felt out of place. When he froze that place, he did not remember of freezing a long corridor such as that one. Still, as concentrated as he was in his mission to destroy the Miraculous Team, he probably did not notice it. Ignoring those thoughts, he kept attacking Ladybug and the others, who kept mocking him.

“Come on! Even a tortoise is faster than you!” -Queen Bee exclaimed.

“My grandma had better aim than you do!” -Louve Grise mocked him

“Over here!” -Ladybug waved at Blizzard. 

“Don’t tell me you’re already getting tired?” -Volpina snickered at him.

“Stop mocking me!!!” -Blizzard berated at them. –“You think you can defeat me, but you can’t! Not if you keep running from me!” -he exclaimed, as he fired another ice beam at them.

“You got that right!” -Volpina smirked, as she made use of her powers, by creating an illusion that was sure to complicate things for Blizzard… fog. She created a fog so thick, it looked like pea soup. –“Then, let’s stop running. Come and get us! We’re right here!” -she said, as she signalled her friends to go to the sides.

“ _I’m so going to enjoy this…_ ” -he told himself.

The long corridor was in fact an illusion. There was indeed a corridor, but it was not that long, and it led directly into kitchen’s entrance, where a super-sized oven, drawn by Panda Rouge, awaited Blizzard. Charging through the fog, Blizzard was expecting to see them standing right after the fog, but once he was out of it, he saw no one. They were hiding on the sides, and thanks to Volpina’s powers, they were virtually invisible. They could see him, but Blizzard himself could not see them. Enraged, he practically roared, shouting menaces at the heroes.

“You bloody lying twerps! You said you would be here to face me! When I get my hands on you, I’m going to rip open your beating hearts, and feel them freeze in my hands!!!!!”

Having heard enough of that guy, Volpina decided it was time to end that. Focusing, she created another illusion to attract him to the kitchen. This time, she created a double of each one of them at the end of the corridor, mocking him. Seeing them, Blizzard changed at them, his eyes filled with anger. He had not given more than five steps, when his face hit something. It was like e had hit an invisible wall… but it was not an invisible wall, it was the kitchen’s door. Howling in pain, he tumbled into the kitchen, where Panda Rouge was waiting for him. Taking advantage of him being distracted, Panda turned his pencil into a spear, and with it, he wacked him into the oven, before closing the door.  

“What the…?” -Blizzard roared. –“What’s the meaning of this? Where am I?” -he kept roaring, demanding an answer.

Blizzard did not know how he ended up inside of whatever that was, but he knew that if no one let him out, he was going to get out of there by force. As Volpina and the others joined Panda Rouge, Blizzard started to bang his fists against the door’s glass, demanding to be released.

“Let me out of here! Let me out, I say!”

“You’re not going anywhere, buster.” -Louve Grise told him.  

“Well, what are you waiting for? Turn up the heat.” -Volpina joked.

“I’ll leave that honour to the one who came up with this brilliant plan.” -Panda Rouge told her with a courteous British accent. –“As I see it, it’s only fair.”

“And I accept that honour with pleasure.” -Volpina smiled, as she turned the thermostat on.

As soon as she did it, the inside of the oven began to heat up. Seeing himself trapped in that place, Blizzard used his powers to get out. Firing ice beams, he tried to freeze the scalding walls, believing they would break, but the only thing he managed to do, was create an enormous amount of steam, which filled the oven, and caused him to start coughing and grasping for air. Just like they had predicted it, it did not take long for Blizzard to lose consciousness and drop on the ground, like a sack of potatoes. After hearing the thump caused by him falling on the ground, the heroes quickly opened the lid, letting out the steam created by Blizzard. Once this vanished, and they saw the villain unconscious, Panda Rouge made the oven disappear.

“Well, that’s that. Who wants to do the honours?” -Ladybug asked them.

“I’ll do it.” -Volpina said, as she pointed her flute staff -“No more evil-doings for you, you stupid Akuma butterfly!” -she exclaimed. –“Time to relinquish you from evil!”

With those words, she magically inserted the tip of her flute staff into Blizzard’s body and pulled the dark butterfly, destroying it right after, turning the villain back into his human form. Just like all other akumas, Blizzard’s true form was that of an ordinary man. With that done, there was only one more thing left to do, and that was to turn everything back to normal. Making the Ampulla amulet appear, Ladybug used its power to turn the whole hotel and everything else Blizzard had frozen back to normal. As its magic undid it all, everyone that had been frozen returned to normal. Most people felt like they had woken up from a bad dream, and the same could be said by the man who had been Blizzard until a few moments ago.

“W-What happened?” -the man asked, still trying to understand what happened.

“Here, let me help you get up.” -Panda Rouge said, as he helped the man getting up on his feet. –“It’s okay, it’s over.”

“Are you okay? What’s your name?” -Ladybug asked him.

“Louis, but everyone calls me Louie… what happened? Is this a kitchen?” -the man asked the heroes, feeling utterly confused by what was going on, not remembering anything.

“You were akumatized by Hawk Moth and you tried to freeze everything in your path.” -Louve Grise told him with a sweet voice, trying to not make him feel guilty of what happened.

“But it’s all over. Nobody got hurt, and you’re going to be fine.” -Ladybug assured him.

“Gee… if anyone had told me that my day would be like this, I guess I would say they were crazy.” -Louie told her. –“Are you sure I didn’t hurt anyone?”

“Absolutely.” –Ladybug assured him.

“I just hope I don’t get in trouble with the police or anything. Believe me, the last thing I wanted to do was cause any problems today… I was already having a pretty bad day today, I got fired. I don’t know about you, but getting in trouble with the police over this would totally be the cherry on top of the cake for me, in the worst kind of way.” -Louie told them.

Feeling sorry for him even more than before, Volpina decided to tell him how he could get out of there unnoticed.

“You can get out through there. That corridor will take you to the backdoor of the hotel, and from there, you can slip by, without anyone even knowing you were here.” -she told them.

“Really? Thanks…” -Louie thanked Volpina. –“Believe me, if one day I’m able to repay you all what you did today, trust me when I tell you that I will repay you.”

“Being careful and getting a new job will be thanks enough, believe me.” -Volpina told him.

“Okay, thanks again!” -Louie said, as he walked out of the kitchen, heading through the hallway Volpina had told him to.

As he disappeared, no one uttered a single word. There was no need for it. The fox heroine had done a good deed, and they knew it. Just like it happened with Haute Couture, Blizzard was just someone who was having a really bad day and Hawk Moth took advantage of it. If not for that fact, they would have probably never been akumatized in the first place.

A few seconds later, Chat Noir and the rest of the team, who had been frozen earlier, showed up. They were still chattering their teeth, trying to get warm, after being turned into human popsicles. Even their powers would not protect them for extreme temperatures. As they entered the kitchen, they felt awkward for their friends to be there, just   

“What did we miss?” -Arachnid asked them.

“Nothing… except us five taking down the akuma, of course.” -Ladybug joked.

“Then, where is he?” -Flamingo asked her.

“We let him escape through the backdoor. The poor guy was having a really bad day, so I told him the quickest exit out of here, so he wouldn’t have to deal with the police and spend the rest of the afternoon answering questions regarding what Hawk Moth did to him.” -Volpina told them.

“You did the right thing.” -Jade Turtle told his girlfriend.

“What we all didn’t do right was fighting inside closed spaces.” -Corbeau Noire said.

“I’m afraid you’re right. I think that we’re going to have to make a couple of changes in our training sessions.” -Ladybug said. –“It’s clear that fighting in closed spaces, isn’t the same thing as fighting out in the open.”

“Dully noted.” -Dragonfly said. –“But, now, we should probably get out of here… on our way here, we passed by the entrance and we saw a ton of people outside the hotel, mostly civilians, but there were also some members of the press, and you know what that means.” -she noted.

Like always, one of their battles had drawn in the crowd, as well as the media, who were always seeking an interview with the heroes.

“I agree with you. I for one I’m not in the mood for the spotlight today.” -Queen Bee declared. It felt unusual for her to say that, given that until a few months prior, she would do anything to be in the spotlight. –“Plus, my dad will be sure to check on me to see if I’m alright, and I’m not where I’m supposed to be.” -she stated.

“And I should be at home. If my dad finds out I gave the slip to the whole house staff, I’ll be grounded until the end of the year.” -Chat Noir declared.

“Don’t even talk about being grounded. That’s what’ll happen to me, if I’m late to meet up my brother and my dad at the Louvre.” -Dragonfly told them.

“And I have to go home to babysit Manon.” -Ladybug sighed.  

“We all have things to do, and very little time.” -Antelope said. –“Good thing I’m the fastest one in this team.” -he bragged about it.

“Keep dreaming, little boy!” -Dragonfly mocked him. –“You may be fast, but I’m supersonic!”

“Come on, guys, let’s not start an argument here, okay?” -Forest Doe begged them.

“Fine. I’ll stop.” -Dragonfly said.  

“Well, we’re going to avoid the media again, and there’s only one way for us to do this. We’ll use the kitchen’s backdoor.” -Volpina said.

Doing the same thing the akumatized victim did, the whole team slipped through the backdoor, so as to avoid the media. They loved the attention, but on that day, they did not have the time to be interviewed. Once outside, they each went different ways. The only ones who did not go far were Volpina, Louve Grise and Queen Bee, who went back to the later suite. They had just gone back to normal, when they heard someone knocking at the door. It was Chloé’s dad.

“Honey, are you alright?” -André Bourgeois asked. He was worried sick about his daughter, and would not rest until finding out if she was alright, or not.

Trying to act casually, Chloé signalled both Sabrina and Alya to do the same, as she went to get the door. Their kwamis hid underneath a pillow, as the blonde opened the door.

“I’m fine, daddy.” -Chloé told him, as he hugged her. Never in his life he feared that something bad could have happened to his little girl –“But what happened? One moment the whole place turns into a freezer, and then the next, everything is back to normal.”

“There was one of those monsters created by that awful Hawk Moth terrorist downstairs, but he’s gone now. The Miraculous Team showed up and must have defeated him.” -André told his daughter. –“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Dad, I’m fine, don’t worry. And so are Sabrina and Alya.” -Chloé said, as the two girls waved at the mayor.

“Thank God, if anything had happened to you, I… I don’t know what I would do.”

“It’s okay, dad. There’s no point thinking about those things. What’s important is that we’re all okay.” -Chloé smiled at him.

“You’re right, there’s no point on thinking about it.” -André admitted. –“Well, if you say you’re alright, then, I hate to say this, but I have to go downstairs and talk to the press. Turns out our heroes have also disappeared, without a trace.” -he told her.

“They probably had somewhere else to be.” -Sabrina said, playfully.

“Well, they could have at least said “hi” to the cameras before leaving.” -Mayor André said. –“Anyways, duty calls. I’ll see you at dinner, sweetheart.” -he declared, as he kissed Chloé on her forehead.

“See you later, daddy.” -Chloé said, as he closed the door behind him.

“I better go to. I already have what I came for. Plus, I still need to go to Nino’s place, before heading home.” -Alya said, as she grabbed her things, approaching the pillow where Trixx and the other kwamis were hiding, to let him slip into her bag.

“Too bad you already have to go.” -Sabrina told her. She really liked to have Alya around to talk to. She loved to talk with Chloé, but it was nice to talk to someone else as well.  

“Are you sure we can’t convince you to stay a little longer?”

“Thanks, but I really have to go.” -Alya answered Chloé. –“Still, thanks for asking. See you girls at school, tomorrow.” -she smiled, as exited Chloé’s suite.

With Alya gone, Chloé’s suite felt a lot emptier than before. The blonde did not know how to explain it, but, having the brunette around, it gave the place an energy different form the one that Sabrina or herself gave when inside, not that it was worst or better than Alya’s, it was simply different. Truth be told, Chloé was still getting used to having friends besides Adrien and Sabrina, and the more she thought about it, the more she wondered why she acted the way she did all those years in a row, instead of treating them the way she wanted to be treated, and invite them to that big suite, where they could do whatever they wanted.  

“Guess it’s just the two of us again, Sabrina.” -Chloé told the redhead.

“Hey, and what about us?! What are we, chopped liver?!” –Mika exclaimed, as he and Pollen got out from beneath the pillow they were hiding under.

“Sorry… guess I struck a nerve there.” -Chloé said, giggling.

“I thought Flint was the one who had a sense of humour, not you, Mika.” -Sabrina said, as Mika flew towards her.

“I may not be that flamingo kwami, but that doesn’t mean I can’t crack a sarcastic joke when I want to.” -Mika told her.

“Either way, I think I speak for the two of us when I say that you girls are getting better at this, every day it goes by.” -Pollen declared, as she approached Chloé, landing on her left shoulder.

“Thanks, but I bet you’re also saying that so I give you a little treat, isn’t that right, you gluttonous kwami you?” -the blonde playfully asked Pollen.

“Maybe…” -Pollen answered with a naughty voice.

“I know you too well.” -Chloé smiled, petting Pollen on the head. –“One baklava with extra honey, coming up.” -she said, as she grabbed the phone to call room service. –“Let’s hope the staff has gone back to the kitchen already. Do you or Mika want something, Sabrina?”

“No, we’re good, Chloé.” -Sabrina told her.

“Yeah… but you know, I think you girls forgot something…” -Mika pointed out.

“Like what?” -Sabrina asked him

“I don’t know, but I feel like you forgot something.” -Mika said.  

And then, it hit both Sabrina and Chloé at the same time. They really had forgotten something, or better yet, someone.  

“Oh, my gosh! We forgot about Madame Romani!” -Chloé and Sabrina exclaimed in chorus.

“How could we have forgotten about her?!” -Sabrina said. –“We were the ones who caught her. Naturally, we should have remembered we left her in the ballroom.”

“At this hour, she must have already escaped…” -Chloé sighed.

“Only one way to find out.” -Sabrina said, as she stood up. –“Let’s check the ballroom!” -she said.

* * *

Going down to the ballroom, both Chloé and Sabrina were not expecting to see Madame Romani still lying around, frozen solid. When Ladybug used the Ampulla Amulet, everything had returned to normal, and that most likely included Romani being unfrozen in the process, allowing her to escape. But, they had to be sure. If by chance she was still there, they could not risk her hurting or akumatizing someone else. One akuma was enough for that day.

As they approached the ballroom, they saw that there were some people at its door. Wondering what was going on, the girls slowed their pacing, taking their time to get to the door, hoping to hear something that might indicate trouble. Turns out, the people were part of the hotel’s staff, who immediately recognized the heiress.  

“Oh, miss Bourgeois, is there something I can help you with?”

“Uh, no, my friend and I, we were just checking to see if any of the Miraculous heroes were still around.” -she came up with an excuse for being there, cursing herself for not having thought of a better one.

“Sorry, nobody here.”

“Thanks, anyway. Come on, Sabrina, let’s go check downstairs.” -Chloé told the redhead, signalling her to walk faster. When they cut the corner, the blonde said. –“Rats, she’s gone.”

“We did the same mistake as we did with Reptile the other day…” -Sabrina declared.

“Indeed… at this hour, she’s probably miles away from here.” -Chloé sighed.

Though she thought that, the truth was that Madame Romani was nearer than Chloé or Sabrina could ever think. Beaten, bruised and almost with t any strength left, she had difficulty in using her illusionary powers to make herself invisible to everyone’s eyes, so she could get out of there. It took her longer than she wanted, but eventually, she got out of the hotel. Once outside, she quickly looked for a place to hide. She would need to rest before returning to the lair. Finding it, she turned visible again, while thinking of her humiliating defeat at the ends of Queen Bee and Louve Grise.  

“Curse those infernal kids… especially that Bee girl and the wolf girl… the next time I find them, I’ll skin them alive, as well as the rest of that infernal team!” -Romani grumbled to herself. 

“ _Madame Romani…_ ” -she heard a voice in her head. It was Hawk Moth’s voice, and he seemed rather displeased with her.

“M-Master Hark Moth…” -Romani said, after hearing her master’s voice.

“ _When you arrive, make sure you come to my chambers… we have much to discuss._ ” -Hawk Moth told her in a rather cold and distant tone. Hearing those words, she swallowed hard, imagining what kind of punishment the villain would have for her.  

* * *

Marinette kept looking at the time on her cell phone, wishing this one would stop. After leaving the hotel and changing back into her civilian clothing, the blue-haired girl rushed to catch the bus back home. Unfortunately, she missed it by a couple of seconds.

“ _I knew I shouldn’t have changed back right after getting out of there. I should have stayed transformed and used my powers to get home faster… where did I have my head?!_ ” -she thought to herself, as she looked at the buses’ schedules, and saw that the next one would not come for another 15 minutes. –“ _I can’t wait that long… I’ll try and take the subway, instead._ ”

As she made her way to the nearest subway station, she really wished she could transform into Ladybug once more, but she could not do something like that to Tikki. The kwami was exhausted, and Marinette did not have any more cookies for her, and she did not want her kwami to get sick. She had already pushed herself too much on that day, by granting the power for Marinette to cross half of the city at an incredible speed and then fighting off an akuma. The girl would just have to get home without making use of her powers, even if that meant arriving late.

Already aboard the subway, she took a seat, while keeping an eye on the time. She was really hoping that she would make it on time. Her mom should have arrived home by then, and would be helping her husband in the bakery. But most importantly, Nadja Charnack would already be on her way to drop off her daughter, Manon, for Marinette to babysit her for a few hours. If they arrived before Marinette did, her mom would have to keep an eye on Manon until she arrived, and that would mean that she would later hear a sermon about responsibility and all that, and that was the last thing she wanted right then.   

Seeing her so stressed about running late, Tikki began to talk to her, to take her mind off her problems, asking her what did she thought about that day’s akuma. Marinette felt like talking, but so people would not think she was talking to herself, she grabbed her phone and pretended to be talking on it. As the distance until her exit shortened, their conversation went on.

“So, what are you going to do with Manon today?” -Tikki asked her.

“I don’t know yet, Tikki. I guess, I’ll probably put on a movie for her to watch, or I’ll let her play with some puppets I’ve got in my room.” -Marinette told her, as she kept pretending to be talking on the phone.

“I’m sure whatever you do, she’s going to love it. You have so much patience with her.” -Tikki stated.

“Well, Manon can be a little spoiled sometimes, but she’s a great kid and I like babysitting her.” -Marinette admitted.

“The way you say it, it’s almost like she’s like your little sister.” -the kwami giggled.

“And I think that in a way, she is.” -Marinette declared. In many ways, Manon was the closest thing she had to a little sister. Being an only child, Marinette never had anyone to play with her, except for her friends, who she treated as if they were family.     

When she heard the name of the station where she had to get out, she got up and waited for the doors to open to exit the train carriage. Already outside, she enjoyed the fresh wind in her face. From there, it was just a matter of minutes to her place. But then, she looked to her left and saw that last thing she wanted to see. Nadja Charnack’s car. Even if that was an identical car to hers, the license plate was exactly hers.    

“Crud! That was Manon’s mom car!” -Marinette exclaimed. They would be at her doorstep in about 2 minutes, 3 if they caught a red-light on the way. She was going to be late, and there was really nothing she could do about it. But then, it hit her. There could be a way for her to arrive home before they did, but to do it, she had to be sure of something. Something that only Tikki could answer about. –“Tikki, I’ve got a question for you and I really need you to answer it truthfully.”

“Sure, ask away.” -the little kwami said.

“My question is, even when I’m not transformed, I still retain a little bit of my superhero abilities, right?”

“Yes, but it’s like one tenth of your real abilities. Why are you asking me that?”

“Because I’m going to do something really dumb or really smart right now, and I needed to be sure I could do it.” -Marinette told her, as she

Running like crazy, she made her way through the backstreets, where she knew were mostly deserted. Only tourists ventured in them when lost, because the locals tended to keep to the main streets, if given the choice. Marinette knew her neighbourhood like the back of her hand. Once could say that she could find her way through there blindfolded. Turning left, she jumped over a fence using a trash can, just so she did not have to go around. Right then, she could feel her heart pounding inside her chest, like it was about to blow up an artery, but even that did not stop her from running even faster. She knew that Nadja’s car was merely seconds away from her place, and if she wanted to get there first, she would have to run even faster. Jumping over several other trash cans, she nearly fell off one, but her quick reflexes prevented her from ending up with her face on the floor. Somersaulting over a car that was blocking her way, all she wanted was to get home in time. Huffing and puffing, she saw herself just a couple of meters from her parent’s bakery, and there was still no sign of Nadja’s car. One last effort, and she would be home. Dashing for it, she crossed the busy street. A car that was coming was forced to break just not to run her over. Still, Marinette was paying attention to it, and ended up sliding across the car’s hood. Ignoring the driver’s insult towards her, she kept running until she was in front of the bakery’s door. Entering it, she tried to slow down her breathing, but no matter how much she tried, her heart beat would not slow down, and neither did her lungs, that kept begging for air after that extra physical effort.

“Mari, honey? Is everything alright?” -Tom asked his daughter, seeing her entering like that in the shop, that was empty at the time. 

“I… I’m o-okay, dad.” –Marinette said, as she took deep breaths. –“I’m just… really… really tired.”

“Your mom called and told me she was going to arrive a little later and that you went to help Alya with a project. Did you finish it?” -Tom asked Marinette.

“W-What? Oh, yes, the project! -Marinette exclaimed, remembering about what she had told her mom. –“Yes, t-turns out, she just needed my help to look… over for a book. She said she could finish… the r-rest of it herself.” -she said, as she kept gasping for air. –“Has Manon arrived yet?”    

“Uh, no, her mother hasn’t arrived with her yet.” -Tom told her, when Nadja’s car stopped in front of the bakery. –“Well, what do you know? They’ve arrived. A few seconds more, and the two of you would have arrived at the same time.” -he joked about it.


	3. Marinette, the Babysitter

When Tom said that, Marinette turned around to see the car parking in front of the bakery. A few seconds after, the car’s front door opened to reveal Nadja Charnack, Manon’s mother wearing a fancy purple cocktail dress with matching stilettoes and a black purse. Once out of the car, she opened the door to Manon, who jumped from it as quickly as a hopping grasshopper, while holding her backpack. The little girl was absolutely thrilled to be there, because she knew she was going to have lots of fun with her favourite babysitter.

“Now, now, Manon, what did I tell you about jumping around like that?” -Nadja scolded her daughter

“That good girls don’t do that, because they’re little girls and not monkeys” -Manon said, in a low voice, repented of what she did. 

“That’s right, and that good girls need to be well behaved, so everyone likes them.” -Nadja told her daughter, with a soft and kind voice. –“Now, come on, we must not leave Marinette waiting.” -she said, as she held Manon by the hand.

Entering the bakery, Tom and Marinette saluted both Nadja and Manon. Seeing Marinette, Manon let go off her mother’s hand and ran towards Marinette, who kneeled to give her a hug.

“Marinette!”

“Hey, Manon.” -Marinette smiled. –“So, how was school? Have you been a good girl?”

“It was good. I spent time playing with my friends Marie, Nicole, Yvette and Madeline.” -Manon told her. –“And, yes, I have been a good girl… though, I wasn’t a very good girl a few minutes ago.”

“Why do you say that?” -Marinette asked her, with a playful voice.

“Because mommy told me that good girls don’t jump around like monkeys.” -Manon told her.

“Well, then it’s a good thing you’re not a monkey then, because then I wouldn’t be your babysitter, but rather your handler.” -Marinette joked with her. –“And I would have to give you bananas, and not cookies like these here.” -she said, as she grabbed a cookie from one of the shelves, and waved it in front of the little girl. –“Tell me, do you want the cookie, Manon?”

“Yes!!!!” -Manon exclaimed.

“What do you say? And remember, no using those puppy eyes of yours.” -Marinette joked, as she kept holding the cookie in front of Manon.

“Please, can I have that cookie, Marinette?”

“Yes, you can.” -Marinette smiled, as she gave it to her, who ate it in two bites.

Just by watching how Marinette talked with Manon, Nadja knew that no matter what, the girl was the best babysitter her daughter ever had. All of the other babysitters she had, including a nanny when she was younger, did not last more than a couple of weeks. Manon found ways to make them lose their patience, and they ended up resigning. But nor Marinette. Marinette had something in her that gave her the ability to know how to handle Manon, being playful and strict at the same time. Maybe it was because she was young and was still a child in many ways, that made her relate to Manon so easily. Or maybe, it was because she was just great with little kids. Nadja did not know, but did not mind either. What was important was that her daughter was happy, while having someone to look after her, when Nadja herself was busy.

“You certainly know how to deal with Manon, Marinette.” -Nadja told her. –“But, remember, if she misbehaves, don’t be afraid to scold her.” -she said with a caring voice. –“After all, she needs to learn rules and limits.”

“Don’t worry, Manon knows that. She just needs to be reminded, from time to time.” -Marinette said.

“You really are a wonderful girl, Marinette, and I’m really sorry to have asked you to babysit Manon at the time like this. I know that your exams are just around the corner, and you need to study. But, unfortunately, I really must attend this ceremony.”

“That’s okay. It’s only for a couple of hours, and besides, Manon’s a sweetheart… when she wants to.” -Marinette kidded.

“I’ll try to come and pick her up before 10, don’t worry.” -Nadja said, as she turned her attention to Tom, leaving Marinette to keep a closer eye on Manon. –“Tom, is Sabine here?”

“Not yet. But she should be arriving.” -Tom told her.

“Oh, I see. Well, could you give her this, when she arrives?” -she took out a small padded box from her purse. –“I wish I could wait for her to arrive and give it to her myself, but I really have to go.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll give it to her.” -Tom told her. –“If it’s not indiscretion, what is it?”

“Oh, it’s just a pair of earrings I told her I would lend her.” -Nadja answered. –“I hope they match the new dress she told me she was going to buy today.”

“I’m sure they will.” -Tom waved his head, as he heard the door’s bell ringing. It was a customer. –“Well, I best get back to work.” -he smiled.

“I’ll leave to it, then.” -Nadja said, as Tom focused his attention on the old lady that had just entered. –“Well, Marinette, I have to go now. I’ll leave everything up to you. And you, Manon, be good and obey whatever Marinette or her parents tell you to do.”

“Yes, mommy.” -Manon said, as her mother leaned in for a kiss.

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Charnack, just leave everything to me.” -Marinette said with a smile, as she grabbed Manon and carried her on her arms. –“Have fun at the event.”

“I’ll try.” -Nadja smiled. –“See you later, Manon.”

“Bye, mommy!” -Manon waved goodbye at her.

“So, what do you want to do, Manon?” -Marinette asked the little girl.

“I want to play!”

“Did you do your homework, yet?”

“Yes…” -Manon said. But Marinette knew this was not true, so she stared her in the eyes, so she would tell her the truth. It was trick her mother did with her when she was younger, and she had learned to do it. Manon could try and lie to her all she wanted, but in the end, she would tell the truth. A couple of seconds later, the little girl answered truthfully. –“… no, I haven’t.”

“That’s what I thought.” -Marinette smiled. –“What do you say if we go upstairs into my bedroom do our homework, and then, we watch a movie or play a game, until dinner time?”

“Can we eat cookies while doing our homework?” -Manon asked her.

“Of course, we can.” -Marinette told her. –“Let’s go upstairs and get things started, and then, I’ll come down here and grab a huge plate of cookies just for us.”

“Yay!” -Manon said, as Marinette put her down.

* * *

After finishing their homework, Marinette chose a movie for the two of them to watch. On that afternoon, she was craving for something Disneyesque, and it was no surprise when she chose _The Aristocats_ from her huge collection of DVDs. The blue-haired girl loved animated movies that depicted the city of Paris, and she had many in her collection like _The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, Lascars, A Monster in Paris, A Cat in Paris, Ratatouille, Gay Purr-ee_ , among many others. But the Aristocats was her favourite, maybe because it had such a lovely story accompanied by a beautiful soundtrack, or maybe because it was the very first Disney animated movie she saw. She really did not know. What she knew was that she loved to watch it over and over. It was not unusual for her parents to catch her watching it on a rainy-day, while eating a huge bowl of popcorn.

Putting it on, Marinette left Manon watch it alone for a little bit, while she crawled into her bed for a little bit. The exhaustion from her earlier battle against the blizzard, combined with the stress of crossing half of the city just to get to where the action was happening, and then, running towards home to arrive before Manon did, had finally settled in, and she was feeling incredibly tired. Knowing that Manon would stay put, as long as the movie was on, and she had cookies to nibble on, she decided to crawl into her bed for a little nap. Tikki, who had been hiding in Marinette’s bed ever since they came back, waved silently at her, as the girl lied down on the soft mattress. Marinette smiled to her, without saying a word, as she gave her a cookie she had slipped into her pocket. Closing her eyes, she fell asleep almost immediately. Entering dream land, she began to dream about Adrien… or better yet, about Adrien, on a date with her. She saw herself in a café with the boy of her dreams. On the table, there was an incredibly huge ice cream sundae, which the two were sharing with one another. The blond had just fed her a spoon full of ice-cream, and she was about to do the same, when she accidently missed his mouth, and ended up feeding ice cream to his nose. When this happened, Adrien, just laughed.

“Oh no! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so, so, so, so, so, sorry, Adrien!” -Marinette said, as she looked for a napkin to wipe his nose.

“It’s okay. Accidents happen.” -Adrien told her, still laughing.

“I’m really, sorry… I’m usually not this clumsy:” -Marinette said, as she gently wiped the ice cream from his nose.

“It’s okay, really.” -Adrien told her, smiling.

“Okay, if you say so…” -Marinette said, trying not to smile too much. She was afraid she would make that stupid smile when she got nervous. –“There, all better. And once again, I’m sorry, it’s just that… I’m still surprised that you accepted my invitation.”

“And, why wouldn’t I?” -Adrien asked her, slightly surprised.

“I don’t know… maybe because you had someone prettier to go out with you.” -Marinette practically whispered her answer.

“Prettier? Marinette, you’re the prettiest girl I know.” -Adrien told her.,

“Really?!” -the blue haired girl exclaimed, dropping her spoon. –“Oops, clumsy me. Hold on, let me just get my spoon back.” -she giggled.

She could not believe Adrien had said that she was the prettiest girl he knew. She felt the blood rushing to her cheeks, blushing her face, just from thinking about it, as she kneeled on the floor, looking for her spoon. When she found it, she went back to her seat. She wanted to ask Adrien what he liked more in her. But, Adrien was not in his seat anymore. Instead, there was someone else seated, and that someone was a man wearing a dark purple dress shirt with a black butterfly-shaped lapel on the centre of the collar, black dress pants and matching shoes. His face and neck were covered with a silver-mask, which somehow managed to highlight his deep icy-cold blue eyes.   

“Well, hello there, Marinette… or should I call you, Ladybug?” -the man asked her, with a wicked smile on his face    

“H-Hawk Moth!” –Marinette exclaimed, as she felt her blood freeze in her veins. –“H-How do you know I-I’m L-Ladybug?! A-And what are y-you doing here? W-Where’s Adrien?!” -she stuttered, her hear filled with fear.   

“You would like to know that, wouldn’t you? Suffice is to say that I’m here to finish what I started the day that we first met.” -he said, this time with a cold voice, as his cane touched the ice cream bowl, and this one turned into ashes.

Seeing that, Marinette tried to run away. But, as soon as she turned around to run, Hawk Moth showed up in front of her. Startled by it, she fell on her butt, as fear took over her body, freezing her in place.  

“Do you really think you can just run away from me?” -Hawk Moth laughed wickedly. We laughed for quite a few seconds, when he stopped, and looked at the girl with a serious look on his face. –“You can’t run from me. I, Hawk Moth, have enslaved millions over the millennia, not to mention that all those who oppose me, get destroyed.” -he declared with a cold and distant voice. –“Do you really think that you and your friends can destroy me? If you do, then, you are insane to think that. And you, you are just a helpless little girl, who thinks she can play heroes and villains, when you should be cowering in fear from just listening to my name.”

Fear had paralyzed her. Marinette wanted to get up, but her whole body would not obey her. Hawk Moth had her trapped and there was nothing she could do. And then, it hit her, she was not just a helpless little girl, she was a girl with a miraculous, the only weapon that could defeat that psychopath.

“Let’s see what you think about me, when I break your teeth with a well-placed kick, you psychopath!” -Marinette exclaimed. Saying those words had given her the courage she needed to get back on her feet. –“I’ll show you why I’m not afraid of a psycho like you, Hawk Moth!” -she yelled at him. –“Tikki, transforme moi!”

She said the magic words, but nothing happened. There was no transformation, no nothing. She just stood there, with her regular clothes, instead of her heroine uniform, with Hawk Moth smiling wickedly at her.

“I don’t think that will work, without these here” -Hawk Moth told her, as he opened his right hand, and showed the ladybug earrings on his palm.

Led by instinct, Marinette’s hands went for her earlobes, where she checked she was not wearing her earrings. Somehow, Hawk Moth had taken them and were now in his possession.

“H-How did you…?”

“How? Is that all you have to say?” -Hawk Moth asked her –“Instead, you should be asking me what am I going to do with these. Well, here’s the answer.” -he said, as he closed his hand and crushed the earrings into tiny little pieces. By doing it, a shriek was heard. The voice sounded like Tikki. –“You heard that? That was your kwami taking its last breath… just like you will be taking yours, in a few moments.”

When he finished that sentence, everything around them turned pitch black. The fear she felt when Hawk Moth showed up had returned. Still, all she could think about right then were the words that psycho said, when he destroyed her miraculous. Did Tikki really died, and what they heard was her screaming in agony? Just thinking about it made her skin crawl up.

“No! That can’t be! Tikki’s not dead!” -Marinette screamed at Hawk Moth. She refused to believe he had killed her.

“Oh, your kwami is dead, believe me. And after I kill you, I’m going to find your friends and do the same to them… though, I will save one of the miraculouses, so I can destroy it, in front of old Fu’s eyes, so he understands that it is really over.” -Hawk Moth declared, as he unsheathed his cane, revealing the hidden blade in it.

“No! Please, don’t!” -Marinette begged the villain.

“See you in Hell, Ladybug.” -Hawk Moth declared, as he swung the blade against her.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!” -Marinette screamed.

“Marinette! Marinette! Marinette!!! Wake up, Marinette!!!!” -a voice was heard. It was Manon.

Opening her eyes, Marinette’s heart felt like it was about to burst out of her chest. It took her a couple of seconds to realize that it all had been a dream, and that she had woken up from it. Breathing heavily, she had to repeat to herself that it all had been a nightmare, and nothing else. Still, it had looked so real; so real that for a moment, she wondered if she was still dreaming.  

“Are you alright, Marinette? Were you having a bad dream?” -Manon asked her. She had heard Marinette screaming while asleep, and rushed to see if she was alright. Tikki, who had also fallen sleep next to her, woke up to the sound of her screams. She tried to wake her up, but Manon beat her to it, and she had to pretend she was just a stuffed doll, lying on the girl’s bed.

“Y-Yeah, I was having one, Manon.” -Marinette told her, as she took several deep breaths. Her heart was still beating like crazy, and did not want to slow down.

“What was it about? Was it something bad?” -Manon asked her, clearly worried.

“It was…” -Marinette said. –“… it was about a monster that hurt a friend of mine and was going to hurt me too, Manon.” -she told her, not getting into details about it.

“It’s okay, Marinette. You don’t have to be afraid anymore. The monster’s gone now.”

“I’m the one who’s supposed to tell you that, when you have a nightmare, you little rascal, you.” -Marinette told her, trying to forget about that awful nightmare. –“Anyways, thanks for trying to cheer me up, Manon.” -she said, as she caressed the little girl’s hair. –“So, how long was I out? Have you finished watching the movie?”

“No, it’s still in the beginning. I stopped it, so I could come and see if you were alright.”

“Well, then, since this nightmare has robbed me of any wink of sleep I had, I’m going to watch it with you. What do you say?”   

“Okay. I stopped right when the kittens were signing with their mommy.” -Manon said, when something in Marinette’s bed caught her attention. –“Hey, what’s this?” -she asked, as she grabbed Tikki, who was still pretending to be a stuffed doll. –“Did you make this doll, Marinette?”

“ _Yikes! Tikki!_ ” -Marinette exclaimed to herself, seeing her kwami in Manon’s hands. –“Y-Yes, I did. Here, give it to me.” –she took Tikki out of her hands.

“My mommy says that it’s not nice to take away things from someone else’s hands, Marinette!” -Manon told her.

“Well, and she’s right. But I’m also certain that she also told you that you shouldn’t touch other people’s things, without their permission, didn’t she?” -Marinette asked her, turning the tables to her advantage.

“Yes…” -Manon answered. –“Can I please see that doll you made, please? I want to play with it.”

“Sorry, Manon, but this doll is very fragile and… and… and it’s not ready yet. I still have to stitch it properly.” -Marinette said, trying to come up with an excuse to not hand Tikki to her.  

“But, I wanna play with it! I wanna play with it!” -Manon screamed, throwing a tantrum.

“Sorry, but no, and I don’t want you to do that. If you throw a tantrum, I’ll tell your mother when she arrives!” -Marinette firmly scolded her.

But Manon was not going to take a no for an answer, even from Marinette, her favourite babysitter. She wanted to play with the dolly more than anything right then, and she was going to play with it, one way, or another. And to do that, she used her secret weapon, her baby doll eyes. The little girl knew Marinette could not resist her baby doll eyes. And seeing her use them, the blue-haired girl, quickly turned her look away from her, so as to not be affected by it.

“No, Manon, that trick won’t work this time.” -Marinette told her, as she looked at her with a serious face.

“If you don’t give me the dolly, I’m going keep doing this, until you give it to me!” -Manon exclaimed.

They were both stubborn, and neither one of them was going to give in. Marineete was not going to let Manon play with Tikki, and accidently hurt her, and Manon was not going to stop making baby doll eyes at Marinette, hoping that eventually she would give in and let her play with the doll. Seeing this, Tikki decided to do something herself to end that, and the only way to do it, was for her to use one of her other powers, telepathy. Concentrating, she tried to contact Marinette through the psychic link the two of them shared.

“ _Marinette! Marinette!_ ” -Tikki’s voice was heard inside Marinette’s head.

“ _Tikki?_ ” -Marinette thought to herself.

“ _I’m talking to you through telepathy, Marinette._ ” -Tikki told her.

“ _You didn’t tell me you could do that!_ ” -the blue haired girl thought.

“ _You never asked… but that’s not the issue here. Let Manon play with me._ ” -the scarlet kwami ordered her.

“ _But she might hurt you. And besides, you deserve to relax after the day you had._ ” -Marinette told her. She truthfully believed that after that day, Tikki really deserved a break, and she knew that if Manon began to play with her, that would be the last thing she would have.    

“ _I can relax some other time. Let her play with me. I’m more resistant than I let people think I am._ ” -Tikki told her.

“ _Okay, I’ll do as you say, then._ ” -Marinette sighed.

“Fine, Manon. I’ll let you play with the doll.” -Marinette sighed, as she handed Tikki to the little girl. But just as she was about to hand her, she stopped and looked Manon in the eyes. –“But… you have to promise that you’ll be very careful with her. The doll is for a friend of mine’s birthday, and if you break it, I won’t have time to make another one.” -she made it up.

“Okay, I promise.” -Manon said, as she grabbed Tikki. –“She’s really pretty. I like her eyes. Would you do a dolly like this one for me too?”

Marinette did not know if she could make a doll exactly like Tikki. She was good at making puppets and other things, but she never made something as small and as detailed before. Still, it was worth a shot, and Manon deserved it. Sure, she was stubborn and quite spoiled at times, but deep down, Marinette knew the little girl had a kind heart.

“You really want me to make you one too?” -Marinette asked her.

“Yes, please.” -Manon said, as she squeezed Tikki against her. If one would pay attention, they would see Tikki’s eyes bulge like a cartoon, every time she was squeezed.

“Well, since you’ve asked so nicely, I’ll make you one. But, can I make it slightly bigger than that one?” -Marinette asked her. By doing it bigger, working on it would be easier for Marinette, who still had to master creating puppets as small as Tikki with a high level of detail.

“Yes! Make it big!” -Manon said, as she shook Tikki in her hands. The little kwami who was starting to feel sick, had to focus, so she would not throw up.

“Okay, okay, I will. But, for me to do that, you can’t squeeze or shake that doll like you’re doing okay?” -Marinette told her.

“Why not?”

“Because you might ruin it, and then I won’t be able to make a new one, just from looking at it, because it won’t look the same as it does now” -Marinette told her with a calm and soft voice.

“Okay.” -Manon smiled, as she held Tikki in her hands, this time being more careful with her. –“I promise I’ll be careful with her.”

“Alright.” -Marinette smiled. –“So, do you still want to watch the rest of the film?” -she asked Manon, who waved her head silently. –“Then, come on, we shouldn’t let Duchess and the kittens, as well as O’Malley the Alley Cat waiting.”     

* * *

After such an eventful afternoon, it felt nice to do something else. And for Alya and Nino, that meant working on the Miraculous Blog. They had been working on a series of interviews they did to each member of the team, and were now giving them the finishing touches, so they could post them on the blog. The interviews were quite different from the ones they gave for the rest of the media, right after a battle. They were quite light-hearted and were more of a calling card, so people could know them better.

“Okay, I guess we got these almost done.” -Alya said.

“Indeed.” –Nino agreed. He had invited her over to have dinner with him and his parents, and she accepted. He felt it was time for his parents to get to know better the girl who had captured his heart. –“You want to give it a run before we post them?”

“Sure… but which one?”

“Well, since I’m a gentleman, I’ll let you choose.” -Nino smiled at her.

“Oh, thanks.” -Alya said, as she planted a kiss on his cheek. –“Then, let’s see… let’s go with Chloé’s.”

Clicking on the file, they waited for it to open. About three seconds later, they had Chloé as Queen Bee looking at them on the screen.

“Hi there, everyone! I’m Queen Bee, and I’m here to tell you a little more about myself.” -she said

The interviews were about 15 minutes long and covered a lot of topics like what was their favourite colour, favourite food, hobbies, among other things. They tried to answer the questions as truthfully as possible, without revealing anything that could lead someone to find their secret identity.

“Got to admit, this is probably one of the best videos I’ve ever did.” -Nino said. He waited for Alya to throw a snappy comeback at him, but she did not utter a single word. Looking at the brunette, he saw that she had her head in the clouds. Placing his hand over one of her shoulders, he gently shook her, before calling her. –“Alya? Earth to Alya! Do you read me?”

“H-Huh, what?” -Alya said. –“Oh, sorry, Nino. I must have spaced out for a moment.”

“I could see that. What were you thinking about?”

“I was thinking about Marinette. Remember she told us that she had to babysit Manon? I wonder how she’s handling it?” -Alya declared. She had helped babysitting Manon once or twice, so she knew the girl was a handful.

“I’m sure she’s fine. I mean, that little girl can’t be worse than Hawk Moth or one of his goons, right?” -Nino said, as he uploaded the first videos into the blog.

“You don’t know Manon like I do, smartass, and I can testify, that she’s worse than all of them combined, when she wants to. Especially, when she uses her special baby doll eyes move, as her mother calls it.” -Alya told him.

“She can’t be that bad, Alya. Besides, today she proved once more she can handle anything.” -Nino said.

“Besides, she can’t be worse than your twin sisters, Alya.” -Trixx commented. The fos kwami would not lose the chance of complaining about the brunette’s sisters, for all the times she had to

“Oh, don’t be so mean about them, Trixx. They have been treating you quite well lately.” -Alya said. Though Trixx hid herself pretty well, Ella and Etta had a natural gift for finding her.

“That doesn’t excuse them from the times they pulled my ears.” -Trixx said. –“Every time I remember about it, my ears hurt.”

“Oh, stop being such a cry baby, Trixx. You’ve endured much worse over the millennia.” -Wayzz said. The turtle kwami had been meditating in silence, but Trixx’s complaints broke his concentration.

“That’s not the point! The point is that those two girls are little monsters when they want to!” -Trixx told Wayzz. -“And you’re lucky Nino’s an only child, because if he happened to have a younger brother or sister, I bet my ears and tail that if they caught you, they would use you as a bath toy!”

“Now, now, cut it out, Trixx.” -Alya told her kwami.

“Fine, I’ll stop. But that doesn’t mean what I said isn’t true.” -Trixx said, clearly against her will.

Trixx’s stubbornness was bothering Wayzz in more ways than one. If he wanted to, he would have given her an answer she was not going to like to hear. But, instead of keep arguing with her, the turtle kwami adopted a passive attitude, letting it slip. That way, the conflict ceased.

“Anyways, I really hope Marinette is okay with Manon.” -Alya said.

“She’ll be fine, trust me.” -Nino said, as he got up from his chair. –“I’m going to check if my mom needs some help with dinner. You want to come?”

“Sure. What is she making?” -Alya asked, as she got up from Nino’s bed.

“It’s an old family recipe from my grandma’s cook book. Grilled merguez with couscous.” -Nino answered her.

“Sounds delicious, Nino.” -Alya smiled.     


	4. Extreme Training

A few days went by and two things happened. The first was that the interview videos that Alya and Nino posted on the blog were a smashing hit. About an hour after they were posted, each one of them had more than 100,000 views, and countless comments. People asked if the team who had interviewed the whole team was going to interview them again, and if so, if they could try and stream it live, so people could ask questions to the whole team. Alya, Nino and Max answered that they would try, but they did not know when, stating the heroes were not easy to find.

“I’ve lost count of how many people have already asked that.” -Nino told Alya.

“I’m starting to wonder if we did the right thing by posting these interviews.” -Alya said, as she kept scrolling down the list of emails she got.

“At least they can’t say that these are fake.” -Nino said.

“How could one say that they are fake, and that it ain’t us on those videos, but some cosplayers, after we did those cool tricks for the camera?” -Max asked them.

“We’d have to be computer geeks or special effects wizards to pull a stunt like this one.” -Alya said, making the others laugh.  

The second thing that happened was the beginning of their new training. After having trouble fighting Blizzard inside Le Grand Paris, it was clear to everyone that they needed to learn to fight indoors. So, to do that, Master Fu suggested them to use both the Garden of the Ancients and the Guang Baohu temple for the effect. Alya conjured complex illusions that allowed them to train both indoors and outdoors. Once inside, they would gather into several teams and use basic games like hide and seek, tag and capture the flag to train their abilities in closed spaces.

“Tag, you’re hit!” -Grizzly Bear said, as he touched Dragonfly who tried to somersault over him, but was not fast enough and ended up landing on her back.

“Oh, wait until I get my hands on you!” -Dragonfly exclaimed as she got back on her feet and ran against the wall, using it to propel herself in the direction her friend had gone.

With that place being labyrinth in more ways than one, it was easy for them to outwit one another, while looking for a way to get a drop on the adversary. Sometimes they agreed on using their powers, while others they used only their wits and agility to gain the upper hand. It was not unusual for the challenges to go on for more than 30 minutes at a time. 

In the end, they had Master Fu applauding their efforts to become better fighters, waiting for them with a delicious cup of tea and some delicious cookies. And while enjoying their well-deserved snack, the teenagers could not help but to comment on what they had done to one another, during the training. 

“If you hadn’t used your ice breath on me, I would’ve caught you.” -Max said.

“Yeah, right, as if.” -Sabrina laughed, as she fed a cookie to Mika.  

“She’s right. She saw you coming a mile away, Max. I was there, so I know what I saw.” -Alix said, as she sipped her tea.

“Whatever she might have seen, the important thing here, is that you are all progressing further in your training.” -Master Fu said, as he poured himself another cup of tea. On that afternoon, he had chosen to make an orange and vanilla tea, which smelled deliciously and tasted even better. –“You are quick learners, and I must say that you have surprised me with how little time it took you to interiorize this completely different way to fight.” -he sipped his tea. –“But, you must all keep training, because though you have been victorious until now, I fear that many more dangers and many more obstacles await you in your mission.” 

“Don’t worry, Master Fu. Even if they don’t want to, we’ll force them train.” -Muria told him, as Ivan gave him a bite from a cookie.

“As if we needed a reason to train. Thinking about defeating that Hawk Moth and his goons is reason enough for me to get out of bed every day and start training!” -Kim exclaimed, which earned him a couple of laughs from everyone around.    

Still, that kind of training got boring really fast. Though they liked to train in the garden and in the temple, they all felt that they needed to come up with a new kind of training. And that was what Marinette tried to think over the weekend, while doing her homework and studying for the exams that were just around the corner. Going through their routine, she noticed something which she had not seen before. Something that deserved a meeting after school, on Monday.

“I am surprised it took you this long to realize that.” -Tikki told Marinette.

“I know… but, you could’ve also given me a hint that we were lacking on that department, Tikki.” -Marinette sighed. –“This is too big to let it slip, and I’ve got to tell the others. Something has to be done about it.”

“Don’t worry. It’s like Master Fu says, “It’s through experience that we all learn.”, and he’s right.” -Tikki smiled.

“You really are the bestest kwami in the world, Tikki.” -Marinette smiled, as she planted a kiss on Tikki’s forehead, which made the little scarlet creature giggle. –“But tell me, what do you think? Do you think what I’ve got planned will please the others?”

“I’m sure they’ll like it. After all, they are your friends, and you know them better than anyone.” -Tikki said, after checking what the girl had written on her idea journal. She also noticed a quick sketch of something that looked like her, but had bigger eyes and a bigger head. –“Is this supposed to be me?”

“Y-Yeah, it’s a first sketch for the plushie that I’ve to do for Manon, but I’m not linking it very much.”

“Well, no wonder, my head and my eyes aren’t that big.” -Tikki pointed out. –“Do you want me to pose for you, while you sketch a new one?”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll take another turn at it, later.” -Marinette said. –“But, if you want to help me, you could help me study for my History test. I can’t seem to understand this part of the subject regarding the feudal lords in France.”

“Then, you came to the right person, or kwami, in my case. I happen to know a lot about that, since Joan of Arc was one of the previous holders of my miraculous.” -Tikki told her, as she sat on Marinette’s History handbook.

“Okay, then. But, while we’re at it, I also want to know a couple of stories about her. I bet you have a ton of stories about Joan of Arc.” -Marinette asked her. Tikki was always referring to Joan of Arc as one of the best Ladybugs ever, and Marinette was curious to know what made her so special.

“Well, I can tell you one or two, but, let’s not forget your exam.” -Tikki said. She was always happy to talk about the previous Ladybugs.

* * *

Monday came, and the first thing Marinette did when she arrived at school, was tell her friends that she had an important thing to tell them, regarding their other occupation. She was about to tell them, when Miss Bustier entered the classroom, asking everyone to get into their seats. They had a busy morning, and tons of things to revise for the History exam the next day.

“Okay, class, I hope you all studied this, because I want to hear your doubts, and I want to answer them. Let me remind you that this test will represent 40% of your grade in History this team.” -Miss Bustier said, as she began to write on the blackboard. –“Now, who wants to go first?” -she looked around. –“Yes, Mylene?”

“I understood the part about the religion being a very important part of the daily life of the people back in those days, as well as the Clergy being one of the parts of the ruling society, the others being the Nobility and the King. What I didn’t understand was, how did the power of Clergy affect the Nobility?” -Mylene asked.  

“Oh, I see. That’s an interesting question, and it has a simple answer. You see…” -Miss Bustier began to answer Mylene’s doubt, while using it as a starting point to repeat the matter.

“ _Guess I’ll just have to wait until recess to talk to them._ ” -Marinette thought to herself, as she began to take notes on her notebook.

Time slowed down, as Miss Bustier continued to answer all the questions her students posed her. It looked like the more questions she was posed, the slower the clock seemed to go. When the bell rang for recess, it felt to everyone in Miss Bustier’s class that instead of a couple of hours, a whole century had gone by. Going outside into the courtyard, they all went into one of the corners and sat around Marinette to hear what she had to tell them. Like always, she had brought them something sweet to eat. On that morning, she had brought them chocolate filled croissants for them all, and mini-croissants filled with jelly for the kwamis, who wasted no time asking the kids to give them one.

“So, what is it that is so important we all need to hear, Marinette?” -Mylene asked her, as she nibbled her croissant.

“What I wanted to tell you when I got here, was that I’ve been thinking about what you all said about our training these last few days. That’s it’s okay to train at the Garden of the Ancients, as well on the inside of the Guang Baohu temple, but that we all needed a new challenge. I agree with that, and I think that we should really find another place to train. After giving much thought to it, I think I’ve found the perfect place, and Tikki agreed with me, just so you know.” -Marinette said. –“The place that I have in mind is the whole city of Paris. We’ve got so many places we can use to train, that it would be a shame just to pick one. So that’s why, I decided that starting today, once a week, we’ll go for a race around town, and while doing it, also training our abilities and our routines.” -she smiled. She had been practicing that speech for nearly an hour in front of her mirror, before leaving for school, and it seemed like it had paid off.   

“Spoken like a true leader, Marinette.” -Alix smiled at her.

“I second that.” –Sabrina also smiled.

The rest of the team also liked the idea, but Marinette had not finished yet. She still had something to add to what she had spoken, and what she was going to say was extremely important.

“But, that isn’t the only reason why I think we should do this.” -Marinette said. –“Look, after our battle against Blizzard, it occurred to me that, until now, we’ve been lucky, because we were either together or we managed to get together when an akuma attacked the city.” -she went on. –“But, it’s like they say, we’ll run out of luck eventually, and when that happens, someone might pay the price for it…”

“Girl, please, don’t stall. Just say what you’ve got to say.” -Alya told her with a calm and serene voice.

“What I’m trying to say is, we need to be prepared for the fact that not all of us will be able to fight an akuma, because we’re either busy doing something we can’t get away from, or, and this is just n hypothesis, we’re out of town, or, just like it happened with Blizzard, we get taken out.” -Marinette declared. –“When that happens, those that are left to answer the call, and they can be 2 or they can 10 of us, will have to deal with the threat on their own, and they’ll need to have strategies or plans to work just as well as we all do when we’re together.” -she said.

“It makes sense. Like you said, we’ve been lucky the whole team has been able to take down the villains together.” -Juleka said. –“But that doesn’t mean it will always be like that.”

“We already work well together, so, I guess, what we need is to learn to work in smaller groups. Maybe, we can make use of the tricks we’ve learned to do when some of us pair up?” -Adrien suggested. –“And, of course, by doing that, we can also come up with new routines and new tricks, by combining our abilities and powers with others we haven’t done yet.”

“Love it! That’s using your brain, bro!” -Nino exclaimed, as he and Adrien exchanged a high-five.

“Thanks.” -the blond smiled. 

“Well, I agree with everything you all said, but… there’s a slight catch on that.” -Max said, as he turned his attention to Marinette. –“No matter what we do, either we, or the akuma that strikes, will end up causing chaos and mayhem, not mention destruction, and you’re the only one of us who can use the Ampulla amulet. How are we going to solve that problem?”

“You’re right, that is a problem. But there’s a solution to it.” -Marinette said. –“I’ve talked to Master Fu about it, and he said that there’s a way for us all to use the Ampulla amulet. Usually it’s just the team’s leader who uses it, but in dire circumstances, it’s possible for other miraculous holders to share the amulet and use it. As you know, I make the amulet appear when I need it, so you’ll also be able to make it appear. But to do that, you’ll all have to learn to work with it.”

“Well, if you learned how to make use of it, I guess we’ll also be able to learn how to use it.” -Chloé said. –“It only took you an afternoon to learn how to use it.”

“Yes, one afternoon to learn how to use it, Chloé. But it took me almost two weeks to master it, and sometimes I still practice it, because it’s hard to use it. Don’t think it’ll be easy, because it won’t.” -Marinette told her. 

“But, about this race, are we really going to do it this afternoon?” -Nathaniel asked. –“We’ve got a History test tomorrow, remember?”

“Never mind the test. It’s just for a couple of hours. And besides, look at it this way. This race will help you calm your nerves and relax.” -Alix told him.

“She does have a point, man” -Kim said. –“They say there’s no better remedy for stress than to do some exercise.” 

“Besides, aren’t you tired of looking at that History book, over and over? The fresh air will do you good… call it, a break from studying.” -Alix said. –“Instead of going out for a walk, or watching television, you hang out with your friends and do something fun.”

“You’ve got to admit, she does make a great point.” -Ivan said. –“It’s a great way to let out some steam, without hitting the gym.”

“Well, I usually draw to relax… but, since our fearless leader says we need the training, I’ll go.” -Nathaniel agreed.

“Then, where do we meet to do this?” –Adrien asked them. He would have to sneak out of the house to go and meet them, and to do that, he would have to fool his bodyguard, as always.

“Uh… I really didn’t reach that part.” -Marinette said, a little embarrassed. She had thought about everything, except the place where they would meet. –“If you guys know a place where we can, you know, dress-up without being seen, we could meet there.”

“I might have a place.” -Mylene suggested, with a smile on her face.  

* * *

The place Mylene had in mind for them to use was a place her dad’s theatre company used a few months earlier to put on a small show to raise money for an orphanage; and that place was none other than the Chateau Edmond Rothschild. The place was built from 1855 to 1861 to house banker James de Rothschild. It was designed in the style of Louis XIV and was surrounded by various themed gardens. Unfortunately, during the Second World War, the chateau was plundered by the Nazis, then taken over by the American troops, that used it as a temporary headquarters. Having been abandoned by the family long ago, the son of Edmond Rothschild gave the property to the mayor of Boulogne for a symbolic franc, who then quickly sold it. Construction of a main road and hospital truncated the gardens, which now existed as a park.

Taking a bus, they went there, right after school. Once they got there, they saw that though it had seen better days, the ruined building still had a charm of its own, reminiscent of the time it was built. And like all ruined buildings, it was inaccessible to the public. But Mylene, having spent a couple of weeks on the outside, helping her father, whenever she could, knew the place and found out a couple of places where one could easily enter the terrain, without getting caught. Hidden by a thick wall of bindweed was a narrow entrance in the brick wall that surrounded the property. Going through it, they all saw themselves inside it. The exterior walls were all covered in graffiti and the whole ground was covered in the same kind of bindweed as was the outside wall. The few patches of ground that were untouched by the bindweed were covered in old pamphlets, used syringes, broken beer bottles and cigarette buds, making that place a not so welcoming visiting site.  

“Nice place, Mylene.” -Chloé told her sarcastically. –“This looks like a den for alcoholics and drug addicts.”  

“I didn’t say it was perfect, and the last time I was here they had it cleaned up.” -Mylene declared. –“Obviously, we aren’t the first ones to come here since then.”

“Which means, someone might be around here” -Rose said, a little afraid of that possibility.

“Maybe we should check it, before…” -Kim said, when he was interrupted.

“Don’t worry, we’ll do that.” -Wayzz said, as he got out of Nino’s backpack. Soon the remaining kwamis followed him, with Plagg being the exception. The black cat kwami was feeling extremely lazy that day

“Come on, Plagg! Get a move on!” -Tamara told him.

“You guys can go, I’ll stay here.” -Plagg said from the inside of the backpack.

“Stop being so lazy and get out of there!” -the raven kwami kept telling him.

“Look, we don’t have all to go, so why shouldn’t I just stay here and keep them all company?” -Plagg said, when he saw a hand grabbing him and taking him off the backpack. It was Adrien, who looked at him with a serious look on his face. –“What?!”

“Because if you don’t, there won’t be any Camembert for you, today.” -Adrien warned him. –“It’s not fair for the others to go and you staying here.”

“Fine, I’ll go, I’ll go. You don’t have to get mad about it!” -Plagg said, as he joined Tamara and the rest of the kwamis.

After a quick recognisance flight from the kwamis, the small creatures came back and told the teenagers that everything was alright. There was no one there, but them. With that taken care off, they could focus on what was important.  

“Okay, guys. Since we don’t have the luxury of also controlling how time runs here, like we do back in the Garden of the Ancients, if we’re going to do this, we’ll have to do it fast, just like when we’re on a real battle.” -Marinette said.

“Then, what’s the plan?” -Alya asked her.

“Well, we agreed to do this in parkour style. We start from here, and then, we head to places that will serve as checkpoints. We’ll assemble into two teams. One attacks, the other one defends. Arriving at one of the checkpoints, we switch.” -Marinette explained.

“I dig the idea. Are there any rules?” -Nino asked.

“I haven’t really thought about that… but, I think we can come up with some in a couple of minutes. What do you say?” -Marinette asked them.

They quickly made up the rules, which were pretty basic. They were not allowed to hide or use anything to conceal themselves during the training, and they could not go up into the air, or underground. And last, but not least, they could not use special attacks that could destroy public property.

“Okay, I think that seems fair.” -Alya said.

“Yeah, we wouldn’t want you to turn something into dust with your Cataclysm attack, bro.” -Nino joked with Adrien.  

“Then, what are we waiting for?! Let’s transform and get going!” –Ivan said, all pumped. After an uneventful morning, he needed to do something to take his mind of the test they were having the next morning.

“Wait! We forgot to ask one thing! What’s the first checkpoint, Marinette?” -Alix asked her.

“Oh, right! I forgot to tell you about that. Well, I felt that the first checkpoint would be the Palais de Tokyo. But to get there, we need pass by the Pont de Bir-Hakeim, the Eiffel Tower and the Trocadéro Square.” -Marinette told them. –“And remember, no shortcuts or anything of the sorts.”

“Alright!” -Kim exclaimed.   

“You guys ready?” -Marinette asked the kwamis.

“Yes!!!” -the little creatures exclaimed in chorus. Just like their holders, they too were eager for some action.

“Then, let’s do this! It’s time for us to have some fun!” -Alix exclaimed.   

“Tikki, transforme moi!” –Marinette exclaimed.

“Plagg, transforme moi!” –“Adrien exclaimed.

“Trixx, transforme moi!” –Alya exclaimed.

“Wayzz, transforme moi!” –Nino exclaimed.

“Pollen, transforme moi!” –Chloé exclaimed.

“Mika, transforme moi!” –Sabrina exclaimed.

“Mulan, transforme moi!” –Nathaniel exclaimed.

“Pin, transforme moi!” –Mylene exclaimed.

“Flint, transforme moi!” –Rose exclaimed.

“Tamara, transforme moi!” –Juleka exclaimed.

“Ari, transforme moi!” –Max exclaimed.

“Imp, transforme moi!” –Kim exclaimed.

“Daria, transforme moi!” –Alix exclaimed.

“Muria, transforme moi!” –Ivan exclaimed. 

And with those words, the kwamis were sucked into their respective miraculouses, transforming their holders into their super-hero alter-egos. Already transformed, they split into two teams and busted out of there, on their way to the designated checkpoint. Landing on top of a passing that was heading on the direction they needed to go, they waited to get to an area with taller buildings, before getting off.

“Remember, speed is everything right now.” -Ladybug told them. –“Don’t attack the others, unless you’re sure to hit them, because if you fail, you’ll lose speed and time all at once.”

“Don’t worry. This ain’t our first rodeo, remember, girl?” -Volpina winked at her.

“Look! You think those buildings are tall enough to do the trick?”-Louve Grise asked Ladybug, pointing to a pair of ten-stories buildings to their left.

“I don’t know about you, but I can leap up there in a single jump.” -Antelope said.

“Their perfect! Get ready!” -Ladybug told everyone, as they approached the buildings.  

Once they were close enough to the buildings, they launched themselves to the top either by making use of their natural abilities or their weapons, which propelled them upwards. There were also those who grabbed a lift from the others. Their intention was to start the race from a tall place, so as to know where they were going. Heading East, their first stop was the Pont de Bir-Hakeim. Built in 1905, it was designed by the architect Jean-Camille Formigé. At first called Pont de Passy, it was renamed in 1948 to commemorate the Battle of Bir Hakeim. With two levels: one for motor vehicles and pedestrians, and a viaduct, the bridge was famous for being one of the best places to look at the Eiffel Tower, and for the walkway called the Ailée des Cygnes, form where you could see the Statue of Liberty replica next to the Pont de Grenelle. Going by the ailée, the trick was to anticipate both each other’s movements, and the movements of the people that were on it.

“Can’t catch me!” -Antelope exclaimed, as he zigzagged between the numerous tourists that were posing for photos, or trying to photograph the Eiffel Tower from there.  

“Just you wait until my frisbee catches you!” -Dragonfly exclaimed as she flew to the ground, throwing her frisbee, in the hopes of hitting Antelope with it.

“Keep your eyes open! We don’t to hit someone else by accident.” -Ladybug exclaimed, as she somersaulted over a pair of tourists that appeared in front of her, while evading Chat Noir’s staff. –“You got to do better than that, Chat!”

“You’re asking for it, milady!” -Chat joked, as he used his staff to try and hit the scarlet heroine.

A police officer that was at the end of the bridge saw some the heroes pass by him, and wondering what was going on, placed himself in the way to try and talk to at least one of them. Corbeau Noire, who was trying to get away from Flamingo’s attacks, seeing the officer in front of her, stopped for a moment to ask what was going on.

“Is there something wrong, officer?” -Corbeau Noire asked the man.

“I should be the one asking you that. You’re all going through here like crazies. Don’t tell me that there’s another monster or freak created by that psychopath Hawk-what’s his name?” -the officer asked her.

“No, sir. We’re just having ourselves a little fun while training.” -Corbeau told him, when she noticed something round coming her way… a baseball. –“Just one moment…” -she said, as she used her shadow powers to swing the baseball back to the person who had threw it… Flamingo.

“Hey! What did we agree on? No using our powers!” -Flamingo reminded her.

“We agreed on not using our powers to attack each other’s. I used mine to defend myself. That’s completely different.” -Corbeau Noire told her.

“Oh, yeah? Panda, draw me another baseball! I’m going to show her that you can’t circumvent the rules.” -Flamingo smiled, as she tried to catch Corbeau.

“Coming right up!” -Panda told her, as he did as she said.

“If you excuse me, I’ve got to get going.” -Corbeau Noire declared, as she leaped into the sky to avoid any other baseball Flamingo might throw at her.

“Hey! No flying that high! That’s also against the rules!” -Flamingo yelled at her, as she and the rest of the team passed by the officer, leaving him to scratch his head in bewilderment.

“And to think that this was such a quiet town before these kids showed up.” -the officer said, as he looked at the Miraculous Team heading in the direction of the Eiffel Tower.

* * *

Just like Ladybug had told them, their first checkpoint was the Palais de Tokyo. The monument was inaugurated in 1937, at the time of the International Exhibition of Arts and Technology of 1937- The original name of the building was Palais des Musées d'art modern, and had since hosted numerous establishments, creative spaces and projects regarding modern art.

Arriving there, the team sat on the roof to regain back the strengths they had lost during the first part of their training. They were not really exhausted, but they had broken a sweat and needed to a couple of minutes before heading to the next checkpoint.  

“I guess we should have bought water bottles.” -Panda Rouge declared.

“And, with what money? These suits don’t have any pockets, remember?” -Jade Turtle reminded him. Though they had some of the most awesome super suits ever, they were not the most practical of clothes for carrying things like their cell phones or their wallets.

“I’m sure the good citizens of our fair city wouldn’t mind offering us something to drink.” -Queen Bee said with a slightly posh accent, which made some of the others giggle. –“I mean, we did save the city a couple of times. That should count for something.”

“Or maybe, next time we can bring some water bottles with us.” –Ladybug giggled.

“Either way, that’s something we must remember the next time we do this.” -Volpina said, as she laid down on the floor, soaking the warm rays of Sun.  

“So, where to from here, o fearless leader?” -Grizzly Bear asked Ladybug.

“I was thinking that the second and final checkpoint of our race should be the Louvre.” -Ladybug said, as she stretched her arms as high as she could. –“But, before we head there, we’ll have to pass by the Grand Palais, the Pont Alexandre III, the Palais Bourbon and finally, the Louvre.” -she smiled.

“How about we spice things up with a little bet?” –Chat Noir suggested.

“What are you thinking?” -Louve Grise asked him.

“The last two to arrive at the Louvre will buy everyone ice cream.” -Chat said.

“And you expect that the two of us that arrive last will go down, in our uniforms and buy ice cream without any money on us?” -Panda Rouge asked him

“Nope, I expect that the two that will arrive in last place, to go down, turn back to normal, go buy the ice cream, then transform once again and bring the ice cream to the rest of us, who will be waiting on the rooftop.” -Chat told him.

“You got this all figured out, don’t you?” -Queen Bee asked him, raising an eye at him.

“Yeah, I do. Especially, because I don’t plan on buying the ice cream, myself!” -the black feline laughed.

“We’ll see about that, then.” -Forest Doe said, accepting the challenge.

* * *

The race to the Louvre took an interesting turn, when the team reached the Palais Bourbon. Originally built beginning in 1722 by Louise-Françoise de Bourbon, the duchesse de Bourbon, the legitimized daughter of Louis XIV, as a country house, surrounded by gardens, the palace was nationalized during the French Revolution, and from 1795 to 1799, during the Directory, it was the meeting place of the Council of Five Hundred, which chose the government leaders. Nowadays, it was the place where the French Legistative Assembly gathered; and on that moment, it was where some of the members of the Miraculous Team decided to make use of some of their special abilities to gain the upper hand on that last stretch.  

Louve Grise and Queen Bee combined their abilities to create a small tornado behind them, to slow down the others. In the end though, their little stunt did not change the outcome of the race. The first two to arrive at the Louvre were none other than Flamingo and Corbeau Noire, who made use of their flying abilities to get there faster, followed by Queen Bee and Louve Grise, who had to settle with second place. The last two were Grizzly Bear and Arachnid.

“Looks like the ice cream is on you guys.” -Antelope said, as he sat on the floor.

“Okay, okay, okay, we get it.” -Grizzly Bear said. –“Do you guys have any special requests, or are you going to let us choose for you?”

They quickly noted all the requests, and went to get them, while the others seized the time to relax a little, while admiring the view. Like always, there was a huge line of people to enter the Louvre, and the people in line, tried to spend the time they were waiting to enter, doing something to kill it. Most would either take photos or use the phone to be on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, and then, there were others that would admire and applaud the numerous street performers that were in the square, near the pyramid, performing all kinds of tricks, in the hope of earning some money. There was one in particular, that had caught the eye of many tourists, as well as the eye of Ladybug… a juggler who also breath fire. There was something to him that captivated the attention of those who looked at him. Maybe it was the way he breath fire, or perhaps it was the way he managed to incorporate it into his act.

“ _Whoa… I wish I could do that._ ” -Ladybug thought to herself.

Her line of thought was broken by the voices of Grizzly Bear and Arachnid, who had come back with their ice creams.

“Okay, let’s see… we got two Xtreme Razberries, one Crunch bar, two lemon Firecrackers, four Strawberry Candy Centre Crunch bars, two Snickers Ice Cream bar, two Hawaiaan-Punch Bomb Pops and one Pink Strawberry Princess. Sorry, Flamingo, there was only one for Corbeau, so we brought you instead a Strawberry Candy instead.” -Arachnid said, as he began handing the ice creams.

“That’s okay, guys.” -Flamingo said.

“If you want to, you can have mine instead.” -Corbeau told her. She knew that was Flamingo’s favourite ice cream, and she did not mind eating the other.  

“No, it’s okay.”

“Come on, I insist.” -Corbeau insisted. –“I know that if you don’t have it, you’re going to be sad the rest of the day.” -she thought to herself.

“Okay, if you insist, I’ll take it.” -Flamingo smiled. –“I know just how much you hate those Strawberry Candy bars, and you’re giving me your ice cream. You’re so sweet…” -she thought to herself.

Eating their ice creams, they reflected on what they had done that afternoon, and how great it felt to do it. They had had countless training sessions, since they gained their miraculouses, but this one took the cake as the best one ever. They had had the chance to perfect their routines, while also having fun doing them. And on the lighter side of things, they had also scouted other areas of town and gained knowledge of them, which they hoped would help them, if an akuma attacked in those areas. Plus, the thought of “There is nothing better than to eat an ice cream with your friends”, made that afternoon something to remember by.    

“It’s too bad we have to call it a day just yet.” -Volpina said, as she sat next to Ladybug, who was eating her Snickers Ice Cream bar.

“I know, but that test tomorrow is just as important as our superhero life, and we can’t have one, if we don’t get good grades.” -Ladybug sighed, as she nibbled her ice cream.

“Ain’t that the truth, girl?” -Volpina told her, managing to yank a smile out of the scarlet heroine.


	5. Love is a Funny Thing

While Ladybug and the others enjoyed their ice creams, before heading back home to study for a couple of more hours, down underground, in Hawk Moth’s lair, the villain was having a hard time understanding why his lieutenants had failed to find another victim for him to akumatize. The last person he akumatized did not manage to do what he was told to, just like the others. 3000 years ago, he would have already conquered a reign, a kingdom or even a nation with his Akuma butterflies. Though today there were more people with rage, anger and vengeance in their hearts, he was beginning to believe that unlike millennia ago, those primal feelings were not as powerful as they were. They were still there, he could feel them, growing inside the hearts of men and women. But, they seemed like they had been diluted… a consequence of modern conveniences, he theorized. With so many things to entertain and to cloud their minds from the troubles of modern societies, it was only normal that the humans saw their emotions and feelings restrained and clouded.       

As he looked at both Reptile and Madame Romani, who were standing in front of him, kneeled in reverence, waiting for their master to address them, he mused about the theory he had come up right then. There was tension in the air, and neither Reptile nor Madame Romani dared to utter a single word. They both knew they were in trouble, otherwise, they would not have been summoned there. Seconds looked like hours, and they wondered when would Hawk Moth speak to them. The villain finally broke the silence, and the thing he asked his lieutenants, surprised them, to say the least.

“Tell me, have you ever heard the expression, to prune a tree’s branches?” -Hawk Moth asked them, to which there was no reply. –“Well you should. It’s an expression used when separating the good from the bad, like the wheat from the chaff. And that is exactly what I intend to do.”

Both Madame Romani and Reptile kept silent. They did not know how to react to those words, so they did not utter a single word.

“It is a simple plan, actually…” -Hawk Moth said with a soft sibling voice. –“So simple, that the only thing stopping it from coming into fruition is you!!!!” -he yelled at his two lieutenants, as he used his powers to choke them both, in a way similar to that used by Jedi and Sith in the Star Wars universe. The longer he held them both in his grasp, the more they struggled for air. Finally, he let them go, allowing them to breathe once again.

“B-But master…” -Reptile said, as he tried to get his air back, while massaging his neck. Hawk Moth had punished him before, but never like that. –“… we’re trying our best.”

“We’re sorry…” -Madame Romani tried to excuse herself, when she was interrupted by Hawk Moth.

“Sorry is not enough… I don’t want excuses. I want results. Results that you have failed to provide me.” -Hawk Moth told them. –“And don’t tell me it’s because of those infernal kids. It’s true that they have been a thorn in my side ever since they showed up, but that is still not an excuse.”

“But they… they are stronger than what they appear, master.” -Reptile said. He, who held an unimaginable rage against them all, especially Antelope, who made a fool out of him, the last time they met.  

“THEY ARE BRATS!!!!” -Hawk Moth practically exploded. –“They are just mere children playing with those blasted miraculouses. I knew they were going to give me some trouble, the moment I laid my eyes on them, but I expected that you, as my lieutenants and right arms, to have destroyed them and their miraculouses by now.” -he told them, with a cold and uncaring voice. –“If you can’t even get rid of mere children, that what are you good for?!”

They could try and reason with Hawk Moth that the Miraculous Team not only were more than them, but that their powers also grew with each passing day. But, no matter what they would tell their master, both Reptile and Madame Romani knew deep inside of them that he would still blame them for it. The Miraculous Team was a target that had to be disposed of.

“With all due respect, master, we’ve been trying to…” -Madame Romani said.

“Trying isn’t good enough! Either one of you finds me a way to get rid of them permanently, while finding me suitable hosts for my Akuma butterflies, or I’ll be forced to get more creative with my punishments.” -Hawk Moth snapped at them both. –“Do I make myself, clear?”

“Y-Yes, master.” -they both replied in chorus, gulping in fear.  

“Good. Now leave. I want to be alone.” -Hawk Moth ordered them.

Quickly, the lieutenants left Hawk Moth’s private chambers, leaving him alone with his thoughts. To calm himself and to clear his thoughts, he approached the glass dome containing his evil creations, the Akuma butterflies. Watching them fly inside the dome always calmed his nerves.

“You’re the only ones who truly understand me, my pretties.” -Hawk Moth whispered to his Akuma butterflies, as he looked at them through the glass. –“You’re the only ones who truly understand what I’m trying to do. I want to purge this world of the weak and puny, so that in the end, only the strong reman. Because, it’s like I always said, the strong will live, and the weak shall die.” -he mused to himself. –“And then, when that is achieved, I, the strongest of them all, will rule them with an iron fist.”  

* * *

There are times when it seems like time has slowed down, and no matter how much a person wants to, time will not go faster. And then, there are times when it seems like time is moving faster than usual. That was just the case, as Miss Bustier’s class took a History test. They had been given an hour and a half to complete it, and most of the class was stressing over the fact that they might not finish it in time. The only three sounds that were heard in that classroom were the sounds of pens writing and scribbling on paper, the combined breathing of 15 different people, of which 14 were extremely nervous, and the sound of the clock on the wall ticking the hours.

“No… I know there’s something I forgot in this, but what?!” -Nino thought to himself, as he tried to remember it.

“There, that’s it. Now, on to the next!” -Mylene told herself. Asking all those questions to Miss Bustier the day before was paying off, with her remembering all the right answers.  

“Boring… why couldn’t have Miss Bustier ask us questions about something that did not happen like a million years ago?!” -Chloé thought to herself, as she tried to remember the proper answer for that third question.   

“Stop stressing, Marinette… stop stressing!!!” -Marinette thought to herself, as she tried to answer the last question. –“It’s no use! I can’t remember this one…”

“Only 15 more minutes! I’ve got to finish this quickly!” -Alix told herself. She had lost so much time in one of the questions, that now she had to finish the last three quickly.

When the bell finally rang, they all had managed to finish all of the questions in the test. Some of the questions they knew, while others they had to come up with something plausible to answer them. Though most of the class felt that they had managed to get enough answers right to pass, one or two felt that they could have done better, and were hoping for a miracle.

“I think I’m going to get an F on this one.” –Alya said.

“Oh, come on, babe, you’re always saying that, but in the end, you always get an A+.” -Nino told his girlfriend.

“Not this time, Nino. I know I messed up on this one.” -Alya admitted. –“I better start thinking of a title for the paper I’ll have to write to raise my grade.” -she sighed, feeling that this time she really had messed up.

“Don’t say that. Even if you got some answers wrong, I bet that you will still get a C at least.” -Nino told her, as he placed his arm around her shoulders. –“Besides, you can’t have done worse than I did… I’ll be lucky if I score a D- in this one.”

“There you go again with that… you never get D- at anything. You always get C’s and B’s.” -Alya smiled at him.

“Just trying to cheer you up a little.” -Nino smiled at her.

“Well, it’s working. Do you want to go and grab something to eat at the cafeteria before we head back to classes?” –

Not far from where they were, other two members of Miss Bustier’s class were talking amongst themselves about how well, or how badly the test had gone for them. Mylene was saying that she felt that it was bit hard, but that all her studying had certainly paid off. Ivan on the other hand, knew the test had gone horribly for him. Hearing him say that, Mylene tried to cheer him up a little.   

“I’m sure you didn’t do that bad.” -Mylene said.

“You know I’m not exactly a wizard when it comes to History.” -Ivan told her.

“Oh, come on, don’t be so hard on yourself, Ivan.” -Mylene smiled at him. –“So you’re not a wiz when it comes to History. I stink when it comes to Math.” -she tried to cheer him up. She had not admitted to him, but she had a crush on him, and she hated to see him depressed. To those who did know him, he looked like a bully, but in fact, he was a sweetheart, and she knew it. –“What I’m trying to say is, nobody’s a genius at everything.”

“I know, but, if I don’t get decent grades, my mom’s going to ground me for the rest of the month.” -Ivan told her.   

“Look, if you want to, I can tutor you.” -Mylene told him, with a warm smile.

“You would do that?” -Ivan asked her, surprised by her gesture.

“Of course.” -Mylene smiled. –“I admit that I’m not the best at History, but I think I can help you out. History is just like everything else. You just need to find something in it that pulls your interest in it.”

“You’re the best!” -Ivan smiled. Just like Mylene, who had a crush on him, Ivan also had a crush on her. He had not told her about it, just like she had not either. Still, he had demonstrated just how much he cared for her, when the two were both being Forest Doe and Grizzly Bear. He would stick by her side, and make sure she was in no kind of danger, and she would the same for him.   

“Oh, don’t say that. You’re going to make me blush.” -Mylene giggled nervously. Just like all the times it happened when she got nervous, she would instinctively reach for one of the pins in her hair and would begin to touch it.

“Just for that, I’m going to write you a new song.” -Ivan told her.

“Okay, if you insist. But, try not to make it too mushy. You know I love your songs, when you make them all vibrant and filled with life.” -Mylene giggled. She loved it when Ivan did those things.   

With that test out of the way, the whole class could finally take a few minutes to relax properly. On the previous day, they even suggested they would do another training session like the one they had to let off some steam, but some of them had things to do that afternoon, so that idea was put aside.

But, that did not bother Marinette. She needed an afternoon off to recharge her batteries and maybe even get some well-deserved sleep. The nerves from the History test did not help her sleep well that evening, so a nap was in order. If she could sleep an extra couple of hours, that would do wonders for her tired brain. But before she could think of napping, she still had one thing left to do, and she had to do it before lunch hour. She was going to ask Adrien out. After cursing herself for not having the courage to do it before, and some words of advice from Tikki, she had decided to ask him out that day.

Heading to the girls’ room to splash some water on her face, she was trying to gather the courage to do it, but the more she thought about it, the less courage she had. Just thinking that Adrien could say no to her, was making her go bonkers. With her heart rate extremely high, Marinette was trying to slow it by breathing in and out at a steady pace. Seeing her like this, Tikki jumped out of the girl’s purse to try and calm her down. But before she could say anything, Marinette looked at her and said.

“Tell me once again I can do this, Tikki.” -the girl said, as she felt like her heart was going to explode inside her chest.

“You can do this, Marinette.” -Tikki assured her.

“It’s not working… my stomach feels like it’s filled with butterflies, and my heart feels like a pneumatic hammer, just hammering against my chest.” -Marinette told her kwami. She wanted that to stop, but it just kept going.

“That’s all just in your head, you’re fine.” -Tikki tried to calm her down.     

“If it’s in my head, then why is it that my heart is beating like crazy?” -Marinette asked her.

“You’re having an anxiety attack, that’s why. You need to calm down, Marinette.” -Tikki told her.

Following her kwami’s advice, she locked herself in one of the cubicles. Inside, she lowered the toilet’s seat and sat down on it, while trying to slow down her breath and her heart rate. Trying to make her feel calmer, Tikki began to gently rub the left side of Marinette’s neck. This, surprisingly calmed her down and made her feel more relaxed.

“It’s a trick I learned a long time ago. Hippolyta also had these attacks before a battle, and I did this to calm her down. Of course, back then, we didn’t call them anxiety attacks.” -Tikki smiled at her.

“Well, it works…” -Marinette sighed.

“Feeling a little more relaxed?” -Tikki asked her.

“Yes. But I’m still nervous, Tikki.” -Marinette admitted.

“Of course, you’re nervous. But you don’t have to be. Adrien’s your friend, and I thought we had passed that crazy part, where you get all nervous when talking about him.” -Tikki looked her in the eyes.

“What can I say? Love is a funny thing, and makes me do that, even if I don’t want to.” -Marinette shrugged her shoulders.

“That’s not love, Marinette. I’ve seen love happening, and I can tell you, what’s making you all nervous isn’t love, it’s fear. Fear of rejection, which I can tell you, it won’t happen.”

“How can you be so sure, Tikki? I mean, sometimes I think that Adrien thinks that I’m cool, while others, he doesn’t even know I exist.” -the blue-haired girl said in a gloomy voice.

“That’s not you talking, Marinette. That’s your fear, and we can’t have that happening, now can we?” -Tikki said. –“I know I’ve said this over and over, but Adrien is just a regular boy, just like you’re a regular girl. You don’t act like this when you’re Ladybug and he’s Chat Noir.”

“But that’s just it, Tikki… I’m not Ladybug right now, I’m just plain old Marinette.” -she whispered to her. She did not want someone who might enter there to hear her blabber about her secret identity.

“Yes, you are. I told you this already, and I’ll tell you the same thing over and over, until you finally understand it. You and Ladybug are the very same person. The only difference is that Ladybug wears a mask, and Marinette doesn’t.” -Tikki told her, looking her in the eyes. –“And just because you’re not wearing a mask, it doesn’t mean you’re the courageous, talented and amazing girl that you and I know you are.”

Tikki’s words sank into Marinette’s mind, as her heart rate dropped back to its normal speed, and her breathing slowed down. Once more, the little kwami was right. Ladybug and herself were the same person, and if she could do the things she did as Ladybug, then she sure could ask Adrien out. She kept telling herself that, until she finally had gathered the courage to do it. Exiting the cubicle, she went to the nearest sink and splashed some water on her face, used the mirror to check if she had something on her teeth and to see if her pigtails were perfect.  

“You look ready.” –Tikki said.

“I feel ready, Tikki. Thanks for the pep talk.” -Marinette said, as the little kwami flew back into Marinette’s purse. A few seconds later, a pair of girls walked in, as Marinette walked out. She was going to ask Adrien out before the bell rang.     

But Marinette was not the only one with love problems that morning. Unknown to everyone, and even to the one they were in love with, there were two girls who were having love problems of their own… Rose Lavillant and Juleka Couffaine. The two of them shared a friendship they both considered special. But over time, that friendship evolved into something different, something stronger than just a friendship. It had evolved into pure love for one another. Still, neither Rose nor Juleka had admitted to the other they were in love with her. And all because they were afraid of ruinning their friendship. They had shared a brief kiss a few weeks before when they, along with the rest of the Miraculous Team defeated Gargantua. Talking between them, they agreed that it all had been the result of the heat of the moment, and nothing else. Of course, that was all a lie, and the two of them knew. That kiss had simply made them see even clearly than before what was right in front of them. Still, they decided to ignore that in the name of their friendship, for fearing of losing it. Over the following weeks, they acted natural, putting what happened behind their backs. But they could not just turn their back on what happened, and now, no matter how they tried to keep it to themselves, the girls were starting to go crazy with that. The previous afternoon, during training they acted cool, but on the inside, they were feeling like they were being torn apart for not telling the truth to one another. And the only ones they could talk about it, were their kwamis.

Rose had gone to the library, so she would not run into Juleka. The two had not shared a word that, except a “good morning” because of the test, and Rose was afraid of what might happen if she would see herself in front of her, alone.

“I’m telling you, Flint, I’m going crazy.” -Rose told the flamingo kwami. She had chosen a quiet section of the library, where no one usually came to talk at will with Flint.

“Girl, you’ve got to calm yourself down.” -Flint said.

“I can’t, Flint! I can’t continue to hide what I really feel about Juleka!” -Rose exclaimed, almost on the brink of tears.

“Rose, calm down, okay?” -Flint begged her. He could see she was really upset. .”If you don’t, you’re going to end up getting sick and we don’t want that to happen, right, sweetie?” -he asked her with a calm and gentle voice. Though he was known for being the jokesterr among the team’s kwamis, Flint had a more serious and gentler side to him, that he would only show to Rose. 

Hearing him say that, Rose finally broke into tears.

“That’s what Jules would say to me, if she was here…” -Rose sobbed, calling Juleka by her nickname, as the tears kept rolling down her face.

Seeing her like that Flint just wanted to tell her the truth, that he knew how Juleka felt about her. But, he and Tamara, Juleka’s kwami had promised to one another that they would not tell, because they felt that the girls should find about it themselves. Rose buried her face on her arms and cried for what looked like an eternity. She cried so hard and so high that Flint feared someone could show up to find out what was going on. Still, no one showed up, and when finally Rose stopped crying, he left her stay still for a couple of moments, not knowing how she would react. When he finally felt that it was okay to talk to her, he approached her slowly and gently petted her on the head with his tiny hands.  

“Come on, Rosie. Come on, no more crying.” -Flint told her, as she slowly raised her head from the table, revealing a smudged make-up and her eyes red from so much crying. –“Come on, that’s enough crying for one day. I don’t want to see you cry anymore, okay?”

Rose, still sniffing a little, wiped the tears of her eyes using her hands. After that, she took a deep breath, as a final tear rolled down her face.

“Are you feeling better now?” -Flint asked her.

“Y-Yes, a little.” -Rose answered. –“I needed to let all that out.” -she told Flint.

“Girl, you have to tell Juleka what you really feel about her.” -Flint declared. –“If you don’t, you’re going to go insane. Imagine if this happened in the middle of the class?”

“I know, Flint. But I can’t… if I do that, I might ruin everything.” -Rose sighed, as she took a handkerchief she had in her pocket, and blew her nose with it. –“I’m afraid of what Juleka might do if she knows about my feelings.”

“I understand what you’re saying, but if you don’t do something, you’re going to go insane.” -Flint told her –“As I see it, she’s your friend and if she cares about you, she’ll understand… even if she doesn’t reciprocate those feelings you have for her.”

“But… I just don’t want to ruin our friendship, Flint.” -Rose said, as she did her best not to start crying again.

“You won’t… but you have to tell her, sooner or later, because the way this is affecting you, it might start to affect you when you’re Flamingo, and you might get hurt.” -Flint warned her. Now, more than ever he wanted to tell her that Juleka really loved her. Still, he had made a promise, and he was not going to break it.

“I’ll think about it.” -Rose said, trying to act tough.

“Alright.” -Flint smiled at her. –“Now, we better get going, or you’re going to end up late for class.” -he told her, as he landed on her shoulder. –“You want to hear a joke?”

“Okay.” -Rose said. She knew Flint was trying to make her feel better.

“Alright then…  What is the difference between a mosquito and a fly? Well, a fly can fly, but a mosquito cannot mosquito. Get it?!” -Flint said, making her giggle.

* * *

At the same time, Juleka was too dealing what her feelings for Rose. She had gone to the school’s rooftop to be alone. She was probably one of the few people, aside from the teachers and the janitor, who knew how to access the rooftop, so she pretty much knew that she would not be bothered there. She needed to be alone with her feelings for a couple of minutes. The only one there, besides her, was her kwami, Tamara. She had told Tamara about her feelings for Rose before, and like a noble and kind kwami, Tamara listened to her and tried to advise her. And now, it seemed like it was time for her to do that once more. The goth girl was lying on the floor, while looking at the sky that was quite sunny for an Autumn day.     

“You want to talk about it?” –Tamara asked Juleka. There was no response. –“Alright, I won’t force you to talk.” -the raven kwami said. –“But, if you want to talk, I’m right over here.”            

Tamara had just finished that sentence, when Juleka asked her silently to come near her. Landing on Juleka’s shoulder, the brunette smiled, as she petted Tamara’s head with her fingertips.

“I don’t know what to do, Tamara.” -Juleka said with a gloomy voice.

“Well, I’ve always heard that the first thing you need to do, when you have a problem, is to think about the problem itself, so that you can then find a solution for it.” -Tamara said.

“That sounds like something you would read on a fortune cookie.” -Juleka giggled.

“You’re still thinking about her, aren’t you?”

“Yes… and no matter what I do, I just can’t stop thinking about her. About how she makes me feel… how she makes me laugh… how kind she is to me and just about everyone… how can she be such a angel…” -Juleka sighed.  There was not just one word to describe how she saw Rose, because in her eyes, she was amazing in every possible way.

“Then, why don’t you tell her?” -Tamara asked her.

“I don’t want to ruin our friendship, Tamara.” -Juleka told her. –“I value it too much to lose it. I’m afraid that if I tell her that I like her more than just a friend… you know, that I really love her, that she might not take it well. And once I say it, there’s no turning back. She’ll never look me in the eyes the same way she does now.” -the Goth sighed, as a small tear rolled down her face.  

“But you can’t keep that to yourself, Juleka. If you do, you’re going to get sick, eventually.” -Tamara said. Just like Flint, she really wanted to tell her that Rose did love her, but that would mean breaking a promise.

“I know that…” -Juleka said. After that, there was a big silence that lasted about 30 seconds. –“Do you think… do you think that I have any chance…”

“If I think that you have any kind of chance with Rose?” -Tamara asked her, completing the question. –“I can’t really say, Juleka. I would be lying if I didn’t say that you two would look cute together.” -the raven kwami said, hiding what she really knew about all that. –“But no matter what I say, it is you who will have to choose or not to tell her what you really feel.”

Tamara’s words were, as always, filled with wisdom, and Juleka knew that in the end, she would have to be the one to choose if she was to tell Rose about her feelings, or not. No matter how much they wanted to try and help her with that choice, she would have to be the one to make it, and live with the consequences of said choice.    

“You’re right. I must think about it.” -Juleka declared. –“But in the meantime, I must control myself.” -she said, as she got up on her feet. –“If I don’t, I might do something I might regret.”

“You can do it. I know you.” -Tamara said, as she nested herself on top of Juleka’s head. –“But, it’s almost time to get back to classes. We better go.” -she warned her.

“You’re right. We better go, before someone sees me here and I end up in trouble.” -Juleka told her.     

* * *

There were only a couple of more minutes before the bell rang, telling the students to go back to classes, and Marinette still had not found Adrien. With the minutes going by, she knew that if she did not ask him now, because they would not be training that afternoon, she would only be able to ask the next morning. And by then, she would probably lose the courage to do it. Seeing Kim, she decided to ask him if he had seen him. He quickly told her that he had seen Adrien near the principal’s office a couple of minutes earlier. Thanking him, she quickly went up the stairs, to see if he was still there. And, just like Kim had told her, he was still there. She noticed that Adrien was on his cell, talking to someone. Approaching him, she heard him speak and quickly understood that he was talking with his father’s secretary, Nathalie. They were discussing something that Adrien had scheduled to do that afternoon.

“Okay, Nathalie.” -Adrien answered over the phone. –“Besides that photoshoot in Versailles, do I have anything else on my schedule?” -he asked. He had completely forgot to check it that morning. He knew that he had a busy afternoon, but did not remember what he had to do. –“Just that? And what about tomorrow? I’ve got the afternoon off? Alright, thanks. By the way, what about my dad? Does he dine at home tonight?... He does? Okay, that’s all I wanted to know. Thanks again. See you later.”

“Busy afternoon?” -Marinette asked Adrien, always smiling.

“A little, but nothing I can’t handle.” -Adrien smiled at her, as he put his cell phone in his back pocket. For a couple of moments, Marinette was once more hypnotized by Adrien’s beautiful smile,

“Oh, sorry, I spaced out for a moment.” -she giggled nervously. –“Hum… so… I was w-wondering if… it…” -Marinette began to stutter, and she had to stop for a second and tell herself that she could do that. –“I was wondering… if you would like to… you know… go on a date… with me?”

The last bit was barely heard, but Adrien understood what she had asked him. Smiling at her, he answered.

“A date? Sure.” -he smiled at her. –“How about tomorrow, after school, and our training session, of course? I’ve got the afternoon off, so, if you want to, we could go to the movies, or just go for a walk… I really don’t know… I mean, whatever you, milady, think is best.” -he told her.

And with those words, Marinette’s mind went up to cloud 9. The world could end right then for all she cared. Adrien had agreed to go on a date with her, and that was all that mattered to her. If she could see her face, she would see that right after Adrien agreed to go out with her, Marinette’s face looked like the face of a cartoon character who was in love. The only thing missing were her eyes being replaced with little red hearts.

“Marinette? Marinette?” -Adrien called her out.

“Uh… what?” -the blue-haired girl asked, after being pulled down to Earth. –“S-Sorry, I guess I spaced out again.”  

“It’s okay.” -Adrien kept smiling. –“So, it’s a date?”

“Y-Yes! Definitely! Absolutely!” -Marinette exclaimed, always with a wide smile on her face. –“ _Why did I answered like this?! I’ve got to stop watching so many Disney cartoons._ ” -she thought to herself.

“Adrien! Oh, Adrien!” -a voice called Adrien’s name out. It was Chloé, who was coming, followed by Sabrina. –“Adrien, there you are. I’ve been looking for you for the past 10 minutes.”

“Well, you finally found me. Here I am.” -Adrien joked. –“What’s going on?”

“Oh, you’re not going to believe it! My dad just called and told me that he got me tickets for the premiere of the new Spielberg movie tomorrow, and I was wondering… if you would like to go with me?” -Chloé asked him.

Upon hearing Chloé say that, Marinette feared the worse. She feared that Adrien would accept her invitation. After all, a premiere is a premiere. But, her fear was unfounded, when Adrien answered the blonde.  

“Sorry, Chloé, but I already have plans with Marinette tomorrow.” -Adrien told her.

Upon hearing that answer, the old Chloé would have made a fuss about it, asking Adrien why would he choose to spend time with Marinette, instead of spending time with her and going to a movie premiere, where the two of them showing up together would undoubtedly be one of the highlights of the party, with them both showing up together in every gossip magazine of the country? But, the new Chloé was not like that. She would be lying if she said she was not sad about him already having plans with someone else. But, if she had blame someone for it, it would be herself for not having found Adrien before Marinette did. Sighing, she said.

“Well, okay, then. I guess I’ll just have to find someone else to come with me.” -Chloé smiled, turning to Sabrina. –“What about you, Sabrina? You think your parents will let you come with me?” -she asked the redhead, who was caught a little by surprise. Chloé usually did not ask her to come with her to those events.

“I-I don’t know. I’ll have to ask them.” -Sabrina told her. –“My dad’s probably cool with it, but my mom might not, because the following day is a school day.”

“Oh, I’m sure she will, if you ask her extra nicely.” -Chloé told her, as the two of them walked away.

Both Adrien and Marinette just stood there, speechless. In their heads, they had both pictured Chloé screaming and making a fuss out of the fact that Adrien had chosen to go on a date with Marinette, over her.

“Did you see what I did?” -Adrien asked her.

“Chloé not making a fuss about you not going with her to the premiere? Yes, I did…” -Marinette answered, still shocked with Chloé’s reaction.

“Hey!” –a voice was heard coming from Adrien’s shirt pocket. It was his kwami, Plagg, who was not in a good mood. –“Adrien, where’s my Camembert? You spent most of the recess talking to your dad’s secretary, and you left me, a poor and hungry kwami without anything to eat!” -he kept complaining. –“If you don’t feed me, I’m going to report this to my syndicate!”

“Kwamis don’t have a syndicate, Plagg.” -Adrien joked, as the black cat kwami looked at him. –“And I’m sorry.”

“Sorry, schmorry, where’s my Camembert?! You know I get grumpy when I don’t eat!” -Plagg kept rambling about it, while Marinette giggled.

* * *

Perfect. That was the word Marinette chose to rate that day, as she walked home from school. There was no other word to describe just how she felt about it. Not only her History test went well, but she also managed to invite Adrien Agreste on a date the following day. Feeling so good about herself, she even stopped in a candy store and bought a couple of goodies for her and for Tikki.

“You really are in a great mood, Marinette.”

“I sure am, Tikki.” -Marinette declared, as she unwrapped a bonbon and slipped it into her purse, so Tikki could eat it. –“And believe me, when I tell you that nothing in the world can ruin it.”

“Not even an akuma attack?” -Tikki asked her in a playful tone. She knew that joking about something so serious was bad, but she just could not resist.

“Well, maybe…” -Marinette said. –“But, even if an akuma attacked right now, the way I’m feeling, I would probably fight it twice as hard.” -she declared, as she unwrapped another bonbon and ate it.

But, like all things, good things also come to an end. And unknown to Marinette, the end of such a perfect day was just around the corner.


	6. Manon, the Intruder

Marinette did not know, but as she and Tikki made their way home, someone had already arrived it, and that someone was Nadja Charnack and little Manon, with a very big problem. At Marinette’s parents’ bakery it was business as usual. Tom had just come from the back, holding a tray of freshly-baked croissants, which perfumed the inside of the bakery, while Sabine was busy at the counter. If there was one thing that was true about Marinette’s house, it was that it always smelled to something delicious that had come out of the oven. Sabine was just finishing handling the change to a customer, when she noticed Nadja approaching the shop’s door.

As soon as she entered with her daughter in the bakery, Marinette’s mom, Sabine, knew that something was not right. Nadja always called when visiting, and for her to show up without calling, then there was certainly something wrong. Asking Tom to take over for her at the counter, she went to her friend’s encounter.

“Nadja, what happened?” -Sabine asked her. But before Nadja could answer, she said -“Come, let’s go upstairs, where we can talk more at ease. Come along, Manon.” 

Taking her and Manon upstairs, she told them to wait in the living room, while she made them a tea. Since Nadja looked so stressed, Sabine decided to make some camomile tea. Once it was done, she poured it into tea pot. Putting it on a tray along with some cookies and a glass of orange juice for Manon, whom she knew was not a big fan of camomile tea, Sabine took the tray with her. Opening the door, she saw Nadja telling Manon to behave, and the little girl sat on the floor playing with her doll.  

“Sabine, I…”

“No, no, Nadja, no talking. I know how you are, and right now I know that you need to calm yourself down a little, before talking whatever it is the problem you have.” -Sabine smiled, as she poured the tea into a cup. –“And there’s nothing better than a cup of camomile tea to calm one’s nerves.” -she declared. –“One or two lumps?”

“Just one. No, make it two, or even three… I’m quite stressed today.” -Nadja told Sabine.

“Alright, three it is.” -Sabine said, as she grabbed the sugar bowl. –“Go ahead, Manon. The orange juice is for you.”

“What do we say, Manon?”

“Thank you for the juice, Mrs. Cheng.” -Manon said, as she sipped a little of it.

After that, silence reigned in that living for a few seconds, with the three of them enjoying their tea and juice respectively. And just like Sabine had said, camomile tea was the best remedy for stress. Nadja felt calmer and more relaxed as soon as she drank the first sip.

“Well, now that you’re a little calmer, tell me what’s going on, Nadja?” -Sabine asked her.

“Oh, Sabine, I don’t even know how this came to happen.” -Nadja told her.

“Please, don’t scare me. Start from the beginning, I beg of you.” -Sabine said, as she sipped her tea.

“Very well. First of all, nothing bad has happened.” -Nadja told her. –“It’s just that something unexpected happened regarding my work, and I came here to ask you a favour. Believe me, I wouldn’t ask this of you, but I’m afraid I’ve got no one else to ask this.”

“Ask me what, Nadja?” -Sabine asked her, now even more curious than before.

“I’m here to ask you, if you could keep an eye on Manon, for a couple of weeks?” -Nadja asked her.

“A couple of weeks?” -Sabine asked, puzzled.

“Yes. You see, I was assigned to cover the next United Nations summit. Our correspondent in New York got ill, and the network has chosen me to cover it, instead of him.” -Nadja explained. –“But, the summit will be 3 weeks long, at least, and with my husband out of the country during that exact same period of time, I’ve got no one to take care of Manon.” -she said, as she looked at her daughter, who was playing with a doll she had brought with her. –“I could take her with me, but I would still not be able to take care of her, and she would lose several school days, and I don’t want that to happen.”

“I understand. She would need additional classes just to catch up to her school mates.” -Sabine said.

“And that’s why I came here. You’re the only one I trust enough to keep an eye on my daughter, while I’m out of the country.” -Nadja told her. –“Please, tell me she can stay with you.” -she practically begged her.

Sabine smiled. She and Nadja had known each other since grade school. Though their lives after high school went separate ways, the two of them had remained friends and managed to balance their work and their personal lives, to always have the time to sit and chat with each other. When she and Tom married, she asked Nadja to be one of her bridesmaids, and Nadja did the same thing when she married. Their friendship was the kind of friendship that no matter how long they were without seeing each other, the following time they met, it would have been as if they had seen each other the previous day. When she asked her that favour, how could Sabine refuse it?

“Of course, she can stay. Besides, she’s no trouble at all, and Marinette will have a blast playing with her when they both come home from school.” -Sabine said.     

“Really? Oh, thank you, Sabine.” -Nadja thanked her. –“You don’t know how much that means to me.”

“I can imagine.” -Sabine told her, always smiling. –“You can go do your work, that we’ll keep an eye on Manon. It’s not the first time we take care of her, isn’t that right, Manon?” -she asked the little girl, who smiled back at her. –“But tell me, when do you have to leave?”

“Tomorrow at 4 in the morning.” –Nadja declared.

“That early?!” -Sabine asked, shocked. She thought Nadja would only depart in a couple of days, and that caught her by surprise. 

“And if it was up to my boss at the station, I would’ve taken the first plane to New York this afternoon.” -Nadja confessed, as she sipped from her cup. –“I still have so much to do before packing for this trip, not to mention packing Manon’s things.”

“Well, if it helps, Manon can stay here already, and you can bring her things later.” -Sabine told her. –“That way, she won’t get in the way and you’ll have more freedom to do things without worrying about her.” -she suggested.

“Oh, Sabine, you really are a life saver.” -Nadja said, as she set her cup on the table, and turned her attention to her daughter. –“You heard that, Manon? You’re going to stay with Marinette and her mom, while mommy goes to work.”

“Does that mean I’m going to live here with them forever?” -Manon asked her mom in a rather silly voice, which made Nadja giggle.

“No, silly, just while mommy is working out of the country.” -Nadja smiled tenderly. –“But while you’re here, you’ll have to listen to both of them, as well as Mr. Dupain, like you always do, do you understand?”

“Yes, mommy.” -Manon answered her, waving her head. –“But… why can’t I go with you?”

“Because where I’m going is very far from here, and you wouldn’t be able to be with me, while I’m working, Manon.” -Nadja explained to her. –“That’s why you’re going to stay here. But don’t worry, I’ll call you every day, and I promise, that if you’re good, I’ll bring you a present.”

“Can it be a new dolly?!” -Manon asked her, excited about the idea of getting a present. –“Marinette has promised me she would make me a new one, but still hasn’t.”

“Well, maybe because Marinette has other things to do, Manon.” -Nadja told her. –“And yes, I might get you a new dolly… but only if you’re a good girl.”

“I will, mommy.” -Manon kept saying.

“Alright, I believe you.” -Nadja told her daughter, as she turned her attention to Sabine. –“You don’t mind if I leave her here with you already, do you? I still have so much to do before departing.”

“Of course.” -Sabine answered her. –“You can leave her, and then bring her stuff later, when you have the time.” -she said.

“Thank you, Sabine, thank you so much.” -Nadja said, as she hugged her.         

* * *

The moment she found out Manon would be staying at her place for the next few weeks, Marinette knew her life was going to get even more complicated than before. Not only she would have to keep an eye on the little girl after school, when her parents were working, but she would also have to be careful with her superhero activities. That meant that she could not go on night patrols or talk to Tikki when in the house, at least, without taking a few extra precautions. Manon could not know about her double-life or anything related to it.

Still, as long as she could go on her date with Adrien the following afternoon, she did not care at all. Excited with it, she knew that she was going to need to wear something prettier than usual for her date. Going over her wardrobe, she ended up asking Tikki for help.

“I don’t know what to wear, Tikki.” -Marinette told her. –“I want to look pretty, but I can’t look like I’m going to a party. Maybe I should ask Adrien if he doesn’t mind picking me up a little later after we finish… but, even so, I still don’t know what to wear…”

“You’ll look beautiful, no matter what you wear, Marinette.” -Tikki told her. –“And Adrien will surely share this thought with me.”

“Oh, Tikki, you say the nicest things.” -Marinette giggled. –“But seriously, help me choose something pretty for me to wear.” -she begged her. –“What do you think? This red shirt with that the French flag on it? Or this black tank top with the Cheshire Cat on it?”

“Definitely the tank top.” -Tikki told her. –“And some jeans to go with it.”

“When I become an internationally successful fashion designer, reminded me to make you my fashion adviser, alright?” -Marinette giggled, as she grabbed both clothes and held them in front of the mirror. –“ _I’m going to look super cute in these._ ” -she thought to herself.       

But, her plans were ruined when her mother told her she had to keep an eye on Manon on the following afternoon. When asking her why, Sabine reminded her that her father was going to the doctor to see if everything was alright with the exams he did during his yearly check-up, and she was going to accompany him. Hearing that, Marinette started to cry on the inside. If she stayed with Manon, she could not go on the date. Immediately, she tried to come up with a way to get out of babysitting duty, but it was a waste of time. Sabine told her that by the time Manon would come home from her school, she and Tom would already be at the doctor’s office. Cursing her luck and the little toddler, she went to her room. Marinette was not the sort of girl who would throw a tantrum, but right then, she could not help herself. She needed to be alone with her thoughts, so, as soon as she entered her room, she closed the trapdoor and locked it, so no one could enter. Tikki, who did not know what happened, was going to ask her what was going on, but decided not to. She could tell that Marinette was not in the mood for talking.

Going to her bed, Marinette stood there for what looked like an eternity, sulking.

“ _Of all the times this could happen, why now?! Why now, when I finally got a date with Adrien?!_ ” -Marinette angrily asked herself. –“ _That Manon… not only she has to stay here for the next few weeks, but I also have to babysit her all the time!_ ”

But, the amount of rage she was feeling inside her chest, took very little to disappear. Being who she was, Marinette could not stay mad at anyone for very long. It was just not in her to stay mad at someone, no matter what that person could have done to her or someone she cared for. Years and years of putting up with Chloé’s shenanigans and all sorts of pranks were proof of that. Even when the blonde did something bad or mean to her or anyone else, by dinner time, Marinette would have buried the hatchet and forgot all about it.

Without any rage left in her system, Marinette felt better about everything. But at the same time, she also felt sad. She would have to tell Adrien their date was not going to happen. She could wait until the next day and tell him in person, but it would not be fair to him. Getting out of bed, she went looking for her cell. Finding it, she quickly scrolled her list of contacts for Adrien’s number. Dialling it, she waited for him to answer.

At the same time, Adrien had just finished the latest photo session, and was now waiting for the team of photographers and their assistants to ready everything for the next part of the photoshoot. Since the photoshoot was in Versailles, he decided to take a little walk around the gardens. Following him at a short distance was his bodyguard. He could easily give him the slip, but he did not feel like it.

“ _Maybe I should have brought Plagg with me, instead of letting him sleep in my backpack._ ” -Adrien thought himself. He had given Plagg a huge chunk of Camembert cheese before the photoshoot, and the black cat kwami told him he was going for a little catnap, while Adrien posed for the camera.

As he walked around, the gentle breeze carried the leaves from the garden’s trees. Once green, now they were yellow, golden, brown and even red. Most people say that Autumn is an ugly season, because it marks the end of summer, the death of all leaves and plants, the colder and longer nights, and of course, the raining days. But Adrien did not see it like that, because Autumn was his favourite season. Thinking about it made him feel good about everything in general. But more importantly, it reminded him of his mom. It reminded him of her and all the rainy afternoons he spent with her, hearing her tell him all kinds of stories she knew in front of the fireplace.

He saw himself being brought down to Earth, when he felt his cell phone vibrating in his pocket. Taking it out, he checked it to see who was calling him. Seeing Marinette’s name, he quickly answered it. 

“Hey, Marinette!” -Adrien said.

“S-Sorry, I stopped hearing you for a moment.” -Marinette answered, coming up with that quick lie. –“Anyways, I-I haven’t interrupted you or anything, did I?”

“No, I’m on a break from the photoshoot.” -Adrien said. –“So, what’s the matter?”

“I… I… I just called to tell you that…” -Marinette tried to come up with the courage to tell him what was going on.

“Tell me what, Marinette?” -Adrien asked her.

“To… To tell you that our date tomorrow isn’t going to happen…” -Marinette told him, as she did her best to not start crying. One of her greatest wishes was to go out with Adrien on a romantic date, and now, that was not going to happen thanks to Manon.

“Cancelled?!” -Adrien said, surprised. –“But why? Something happened? Did I say something earlier that made you change your mind?” -he asked her. He did not show it, but inside, he was just as happy and thrilled to go on a date with Marinette, as she was.

“N-No, no, nothing like that!” -Marinette told him. The last thing she wanted was for Adrien to think it was because of something he might have done or said that she had decided to call off the date. –“Believe me, it’s not your fault…”

She quickly explained to him what had happened, and he understood why she had to cancel it. Still, Adrien was not going to let something like that to ruin their date. Quickly analysing the problem, he came up with a solution that would allow them to go on the date, while also keeping an eye on Manon.

“Why don’t we just hang out at your place?” -Adrien asked her. –“We can have a movie afternoon, and I’ll keep you company while you babysit Manon. We can always go to the movies another day. What do you say?”

Hearing Adrien’s suggestion, made Marinette almost sprung out of bed out of happiness. Instead of just accepting what was going on, the blond came up with a way to make it work. Not only was he attentive, but he was also a gentleman to Marinette’s eyes; this only made her feel even more in love with Adrien. Smiling, she answered.

“You sure you don’t mind? You don’t have to come and babysit Manon with me.” -Marinette told him, hoping to hear him say he did not mind.

“I don’t mind at all. As long as you let me choose the movie for us to watch.” -Adrien told her. If he could see her, he would see that Marinette was acting like a cartoon character, after knowing it won the lottery.

“Okay, then. Just remember, it has to be something that’s suitable for all ages.” -Marinette said.

“Got it…” -Adrien answered, when he saw his bodyguard signalling him. It was time to get back to the photoshoot.” –“Well, I got to get going. It’s time to head back in front of the camera.”

“Oh, alright. Good luck.” -Marinette told him.

“I don’t need luck, remember? I’m a good luck charm, even when I don’t want to. Bye.” –Adrien joked about it.

“ _Yeah, good luck to you, but bad luck for the bad guys._ ” -Marinette giggled to herself, as she hung up. –“I’m so much in love with him!” -she yelled.

“I can see that.” -Tikki giggled, as she landed on Marinette’s head.

* * *

After dinner, Ivan decided to go out for a walk, stating that he had eaten too much and that a walk would do him good. But the truth was, he wanted to call Mylene, and since he knew his mom, who was not a big enthusiast of having him on the phone after dinner, would hassle him about it, it was better to do it somewhere, where he would not be bothered.

Reaching a small park that was near his place, Ivan looked for a bench to sit. Finding it, he sat on it and stood there for a minute or so, just watching those that were passing by. Though the Sun had set for a while now, and the street lamps were already light on, there were still a lot of people in the street. Near him there was a group of people who looked like they had just stepped out of football stadium because of the number of scarfs and other memorabilia they had with them. On the other side of the garden was a woman walking several dogs, all of them of different sizes and breeds. And on the opposite side, the owner of a popcorn cart was calling it a day, as he cleaned it up and got ready to go home. Then, it was time. He was going to call, Mylene. He needed to hear her voice, even if it was for just one moment. He waited, as the phone rang.

“Hello?” -Mylene said, as she answered the call.

“Hey, I didn’t bother you, did I?” -Ivan asked her.

“No, I was just finishing helping my parents cleaning the table.” -Mylene chirped happily. She was happy that Ivan had called her. –“So, what are you doing?”

“I decided to go for a walk, so I could talk to you, without my mom telling me that I shouldn’t be on the phone with anyone at this late in the day.” -Ivan told her.

“Your mom’s really strict.” -she told him.

“She learned it from my grandmother.” -Ivan told her. –“That old woman is so strict, that if you don’t sit straight while you’re at the table, she will keep telling you to sit straight during a whole week.” -he stated.

“Thank God my grandmothers aren’t very strict about those things.” -Mylene declared. She always had fun when visiting them.

“I bet they both let you do whatever you want, when you’re at their place.” -Ivan chuckled.

“They do. My grandmother from my father’s side of the family is always reading, and when I visit her, she always has a new book for me. She likes to read for me, even though I tell her that I’m not a little girl anymore.” -Mylene giggled. –“And my grandmother from my mother’s side of the family is always cooking. When I visit her, she always teaches me a new recipe.” -she giggled.

Mylene went on talking about it, and Ivan kept hearing her. He loved to hear her tell those things about herself, and it also gave him time to think of new questions to ask her. The more he knew about her, the more he liked her. And the same thing went to Mylene. The more she knew about Ivan, the more she liked him.

“Oh, I almost forgot, I came up with a new song for you.” -Ivan said.

“Already? But you only promised me that today.” -Mylene declared, a little surprised.

“I work fast… now, I don’t have music yet, I still have to ask Nino to help me with that, but I already have the lyrics. You want to hear it?” -Ivan asked her, shyly. He was not sure the lyrics themselves were perfect, but something inside him, told him to go with it. 

“A special performance, just for me? Of course, I’d love to, Ivan.” -Mylene said, as she placed him on speaker.

“Okay, then it goes like this…” -Ivan cleared his voice, before starting to sing.

 _I held the book so tightly in my hands,_  
I saw your picture, heard you call my name  
It was strange I could not look away  
I had to be there, I wanted to go

 _You gave me no reason_  
you gave me no warning  
But I was with you,  
by your side  
Give me the strength, so I can help you  
And I can be strong now, they don't frighten me

_It's written in the book  
_

_The sun is hotter than before_  
But inside it's cold, I wonder why  
But if the fire within your heart can beat the storm  
Well I believe we can make it right  
  
It's time now  
to show our feelings  
Looking through you  
your heart's empty  
Whatever happened to you, you can't change it,  
Nowhere to run to, please, oh please don't let me down  
  


_But wait a minute I don't understand_  
it's getting stronger, hold my hand  
Don't want to leave you I don't want to go  
But I'm a' losing all control  
Can't you see me I'm slipping away  
I can only stay if you've the will to keep me here  
Oh Lord  
  
It's written in the book  
  
I held the book so tightly in my hands  
Saw your picture, heard you call my name  
Oh, and even though we never, never touched  
I keep waiting for you just the same

Hearing him singing that to her, Mylène loved that Ivan had the time to compose something so beautiful for her. His voice was not the best for that kind of song, but she did not care. He was singing form the bottom of his heart, and that was all she cared about. Once he finished, she could not help but to clap at his performance.  

“You liked it?” -Ivan asked her. By the clapping sound, he could tell that she did, but he had to hear it from her mouth.

“I loved it! It’s such a beautiful song, and I can’t wait to hear it already with music.” -Mylene answered him. –“I think nobody has ever given me such a beautiful present before.” -she said. If Ivan could see her right then, he would see that the blonde was all blushed.

“I’m glad you liked it.” -Ivan said, a little embarrassed.

“You know… I wasn’t expecting you to give me such a beautiful present so soon. You haven’t given me the chance to also come up with a present to repay you.”

“Oh, you don’t need to give me anything. After all, you’re already going to give me lessons in History.” -Ivan said, truthfully, though deep inside, he hoped to at least get a kiss from Mylene.

“Oh, yes I do. And you know what? I think I’ve got the perfect gift… how about a date?”

“A date? You mean a date, a real date?” -Ivan asked her, a little

“Yes, a real date, Ivan. Why?” -Mylene asked him.

“N-Nothing. It’s just that… it’s usually the boys who ask the girls out on a date, and not the opposite.” -Ivan said, a little abashed with all that.

“´Well, I’m not like most girls.” -Mylene said. –“So, do we have a deal? Will you go on a date with me?” -she kept asking him.

“S-Sure!” -Ivan exclaimed. Right then, he did not know who to thank for that. He only knew he was feeling the luckiest guy in Paris.  

* * *

On that night, Rose and Juleka decided to talk to each other online. Their initial plan was to tell the other what they really felt, but in the end, neither could do it; so, they just kept talking about what had happened on that day, while trying to gather the necessary courage to say what they really wanted to say.

“So… we didn’t really have much time to talk today.” -Juleka wrote.

“Indeed.” -Rose wrote. She had been avoiding Juleka as much as she could. She was afraid of what could happen if she told the truth about her feelings to the raven-haired girl in public. –“Did the test went well?” -she wrote.

“So so.” -Juleka wrote. –“What about you?”

“Same thing.” -Rose wrote. –“I think I did enough for Miss Bustier to give me a C at least.” -she wrote.

As the conversation went on, they resisted the urge to just write “I love you with all my heart and soul” more times than they could count. The more they thought about it, the more they felt that though they would be denying what their heart was telling them. But for the sake of their friendship, they were going to ignore those feelings, hoping that eventually they would just disappear, and everything went back to the normal.  

“ _It’s best if we just remain friends._ ” -they both thought to themselves, though they knew they were both lying to themselves.  


	7. The First Date

Just like they had agreed, Marinette and Adrien went on a date the day after. A date that was more of a babysitting session for the two of them, because they would have to keep an eye on Manon. Still, they were not going to let that spoil everything. After they finished their training in the Garden of the Ancients with the rest of the team, they went to Marinette's house. She was wearing the clothes she had picked the afternoon before, for that special occasion. And just like she had anticipated, Adrien had also chosen to wear something a little bit more stylish than his usual clothes for that date. He was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt with the phrase "Legends are born in August", a pair of black trousers, white and blue sneakers and tied around his waist, he had a black and blue jacket. As they walked, Marinette asked herself if that was really happening or not, and Adrien was also thinking the same. They each did not know, but they were both mad in love for one another.

Marinette had had the hots for Adrien ever since he was transferred to Colége François Dupont, while Adrien had begun to have feelings for her since the beginning of that summer. The silence between them was awkward to say the least. One would not even think they were on a date. Feeling that the two of them needed a little help to break the ice, Plagg decided to intervene.

"Hey! What is this?! A funeral?!" -Plagg exclaimed, but only loud enough for the two of them to hear. –"You haven't even told the girl she looks really pretty today, Adrien." -he told him.

"Plagg, hush!" –Adrien said, afraid that people would hear him. –"Do you want people to find out about you?!"

"Hey, I'm just trying to get you to compliment the girl on her looks." -Plagg told him. –"Come on, she gets all dolled up, and you don't even tell her she looks pretty."

"Would you shut up about it? When the time is right, I'll tell her, alright?" -Adrien stated. –"In the meantime,

Hearing them arguing, made Marinette giggle a little. It was funny to see that Adrien was just as funny as himself, as he was when he was donning his Chat Noir outfit.

"Tell him, he looks very handsome." -Tikki whispered to her ear. When she did not say a word, she insisted on the matter. –"Go on, don't be afraid to give the first step."

"S-So, Adrien… you're v-very handsome…" -Marinette giggled nervously, praying that he did not notice she was

"T-Thanks, Marinette. You're very hands… I mean, very beautiful today." -Adrien finally complimented her. –"I've never seen you wearing that top before. Is it new?" -he asked. –"Duh, what kind of question is that?! Come on, don't act like an idiot, man!"

"Oh, this old thing? I have it for a while now, but I never wore it in school." -Marinette smiled. –"He noticed my clothes! Oh, I'm so happy he noticed them!" -she thought to herself, as she tried her best not to burst from happiness.

"I see…" -Adrien said. –"Come on, think of something cool to say to her! Remember, don't let her think you're nervous, but at the same time, don't act like a jerk and just be yourself… only cooler." -he thought to himself. –"So, what did you think of the training today?"

"Oh, the training? Well… what's there to say? We came, we saw, and we mopped the floor with Kim and Chloé's face, of course!" Marinette answered, laughing. On that day, they had all tried to come up with new routines and new tricks to use in a fight, by having certain team members work with others they were not used to. Chloé and Kim had tried both to combine her skill with her trompo and his speed, but in the end, the result was far from perfect, and she and Adrien were able to take them down. –"Don't' say things like that! You're sounding like a jerk, right now!" -she scolded herself for that answer.

"Yeah, well, luck wasn't on their side." -Adrien told her. –"Sometimes, I think that because I got bad luck powers, I hog the good luck all to myself, without wanting to." -he stated.

"Oh, if that's true, then why is it that I always end up giving you the slip, when we're fighting each other in the arena, huh?" -Marinette asked him, sarcastically.

And with the ice broken, the two of them began to talk just about everything that came to their minds. Tikki and Plagg could not help but to notice that the two of them were talking the way they did when they had their masks on. All nervousness and all fear of saying the wrong thing and end that date before it even started were gone. And what replaced them were laughter and joy.

The day was a little cloudy and the strong wind that was felt, told them that it could start raining at any given moment. Picking up the pace, a few minutes later it began to rain, and it was not just a mild drizzle. It was raining cats and dogs, which forced them to take shelter under a shop awning. In a matter of seconds, the whole street looked like a small stream, with the water running down. Marinette had not brought with her an umbrella, because she thought it would not rain. But, Adrien on the other hand, had come prepared with an umbrella. Taking it off his backpack, he opened it, being careful about the wind to not take it.

"Shall we go, milady?" -Adrien smiled at Marinette.

"If you insist." -Marinette giggled, as they began to walk. –"You know, I'm starting to think that you really keep the good luck all to yourself, Adrien." -she commented, always smiling.

"I think that luck had nothing to do about this. Just my dad's secretary putting the umbrella in my backpack, just as I was about to leave." -Adrien admitted.

"Well, then it was lucky she put it in your backpack, because otherwise, we would be completely drenched by the time we get to my place." -Marinette smiled.

About 20 minutes later, the duo arrived in front of the bakery, which was closed. Marinette noticed the written sign on the door, saying that the bakery would close earlier that day. She also noticed that Manon was nowhere to be seen, which meant that they had arrived ahead of her. Looking for the keys in her backpack, it was Tikki who found them and gave it to her. Opening the door, she entered first, followed by Adrien, who closed his umbrella. Like always, the whole place smelled heavenly to all sorts of breads and cakes. The smell was strong enough to make anyone who entered the bakery to forget any kind of worries it might have. Looking around, Marinette noticed a tray with several cookies, croissants and other goodies in it and a message saying "For you, Adrien and Manon. Try having a good time. Love, mom.". Reading it, Marinette smiled.

"My mom left us a treat." -she said, as Adrien approached her.

"Oh, that's so nice of her." -Adrien said. -"But she shouldn't have. I mean…"

"Don't worry about it. My mom loves to do this kind of things." -Marinette giggled.

"Hey, Marinette! Do you have some cheese, preferably Camembert?" -Plagg asked her, after jumping out of Adrien's backpack. –"Adrien here forgot to pack some today and I'm starving!"

"Plagg! Don't you have any manners?!" -Tikki asked him, as she also jumped out of Marinette's backpack.

"What?! I'm hungry!" -Plagg insisted on the matter.

"That's not an excuse for not having any manners? After all these centuries, and you still don't know the words "please", "thank you" and "you're welcome", do you?" -Tikki gritted her teeth, mad about Plagg's manners.

"Oh, please! So. I forgot to say "please", it's not the end of the world!" -Plagg exclaimed. He hated when Tikki pointed out his flaws.

"It's not the end of the world, but it certainly is the end of something…" -Tikki shot at him, with a sarcastic tone. It was clear she was really

Tikki and Plagg were at each other's throats. Marinette and Adrien, who were both watching it, had never seen their kwamis losing their temper before. But the way they were losing it, made the two of them laugh at the two kwamis.

"You two… are hilarious…" -Adrien kept laughing like crazy.

"Come on, let's stop that…" -Marinette said, as she tried to stop laughing. –"There's no need to start WWIII here, okay?" -she told them. –"Tikki's right, you have to improve on your manners, Plagg. And answering your question, no I don't have Camembert, but I'm sure I can get you a slice of Gouda or maybe, some Roquefort, or even, some Valençay cheese."

"With all those choices, I think I'm going to as you for a slice of each!" -Plagg exclaimed, making both Adrien and Tikki roll their eyes. The black cat kwami was a real glutton and he did not mind it, not even a bit.

After Marinette came back with the cheese, and placed it on the tray, Adrien grabbed it and followed her and the kwamis to her room. It was the very first time Adrien had entered her room, so he was a little surprised by what he saw. He did not imagine Marinette's room to be like that, except for its colour. Since one of her favourite colours was pink, he figured that her room would have that colour. Even so, he liked what he was seeing.

"Well, here's my room, my little corner, my Fortress of Solitude… and I would even call it something else, but I've ran out of ideas." -Marinette chuckled.

"I was right, you are a nerd."

"I am not! I'm a geek. It's way more fashionable." -Marinette said, speaking with a posh accent, before starting to laugh like crazy. –" _Control yourself, Marinette. You don't want him to think that you're crazy._ " -she thought to herself.

"Okay, a geek then." -Adrien laughed, as he looked around, when he noticed something near Marinette's laptop. –"Hey, is that a photo of me?"

Hearing that, Marinette panicked. She could not believe she had missed one photo, when she took everything else related to Adrien off the walls.

(Flashback)

_After dinner, Marinette left Manon playing with her mother, saying that she had some homework to do. But what she had to do was something much more important. She was going to clean up her room. Her room had not been cleaned the last few days and she refused to receive Adrien in it, looking like that. Grabbing a cloth and a feather duster from the pantry, she went upstairs to clean it up. Plus, it also gave her an excuse to take off the walls and furniture every single photo and poster with Adrien in it. Seeing her doing that, Tikki could not help but to ask her what was going on._

_"_ _What's the matter, Marinette?"_

_"_ _I've got to clean this!" -Marinette said, as she grabbed every last photo and poster of Adrien she had on her walls. –"I can't let Adrien see any of them."_

_"_ _Marinette, take it easy." -Tikki told her. –"I'm sure that if you leave one or two things on the wall, Adrien won't mind."_

_"_ _Are you kidding, Tikki?!" -Marinette exclaimed, almost terrified about the idea, as she took the poster she had of Adrien off her wall. –"If he sees one of these on the wall, he might think that I'm actually a stalker! Or worst, one of those fans who have a shrine with things that belong to the person they are obsessed with like a hair lock, a vial of blood or even their fingernails in tiny vials!" -she began to imagine something utterly creepy in her mind._

_"_ _Marinette, you've been watching too many criminal series." -Tikki told her. –"There's no way Adrien would think that of you. You're his friend and teammate."_

_"_ _I'm not going to take that risk, Tikki. Everything must go!" -Marinette said, as she took out all of the photos she had glued to her wardrobe's doors. She had taken those of Adrien with her cell phone, and later printed them, stating that they were too pretty to just keep them on her cell phone. –"Could you give me a hand, and use that cloth to clean the dust from the shelves and from my desk, please?" -she begged her kwami, while smiling._

_"_ _Fine, I'll do it." -Tikki said. –"But you should really keep one picture of him around. You wouldn't be called a stalker for having a photo of a friend of yours, who happens to be the boy you like, you know?"_

/End of flashback)

She had had so much work making sure she had taken out every single picture, photo and poster with Adrien on it, and in the end, she missed one. She did not even remember to take that one out, because she had it framed. It was a photo taken during last year's Spring festival, when Adrien won the 50 metres race.

"I can't believe you actually photographed that moment." -Adrien told her. –"Do you mind sending it to me?" -he said shyly, surprising Marinette.

"Uh… of course." -Marinette said. She was surprised that Adrien did not ask her why she had a photo of him, and before he could, Marinette decided to change the subject. Noticing just how fast Plagg was eating the cheese, she said –"Uh, Plagg, don't tell me you're going to eat all that cheese alone?"

"Why? You or Tikki want some? I'm not offering Adrien there, because I know he hates cheese." -the black cat kwami asked her, as he gulped down a slice of Gouda. –"Because if you do, you'll have to get it for yourselves. I'm not leaving a single crumb behind." -he said, laughing evilly at them.

"You really have no manners…" -Tikki slapped her own head, seeing Plagg being his typical self. –"Save some for the others, you greedy cat!" -she yelled at him.

Plagg wasted on time in answering her back with a couple of insults, which Tikki had a few comebacks for. Ignoring them, Adrien kept looking at the stuff Marinette had in her shelves. When he stopped in front of one. This one was filled with numerous books, but there were a selected few that sprung his attention. Those selected few had a few trinkets in front of them, but you could still make out the title. It was the Harry Potter saga. Turned out Marinette was a big fan of it.

"You're into Harry Potter?" -Adrien asked Marinette, who had taken a seat in her chaise-longue.

"Proud to be a Potterhead." -the blue-haired girl declared. She had read all of the books and seen all of the movie. –"What about you? Are you also a fan?"

"I, actually only watched the movies. Didn't have the time to read the books." -Adrien admitted.

"Oh, but you should. They're way better than the movies." -Marinette said. She loved the movies, but the books were sacred to her. –"Which one is your favourite?"

"I'm going to say The Goblet of Fire." -Adrien told her. –"And yours?"

"The Philosopher's Stone." -Marinette declared. –"It's the one movie that is closest to the novel that was based from." -she said. –"Don't get me wrong, the others are also good, but only the first one has that real sense that it was done exactly by the book. Well, that one and the Chamber of Secrets, but I don't like that one very much, because the Basilisk gives me the creeps."

"I know what you mean. With its eyes plucked, he looked even more gruesome." -Adrien told Marinette, before popping the question that most Harry Potter fans asked. –"What's your house?"

"I'm Gryffindor. When I took the test, I had to choose between that or Hufflepuff. My sense of adventure led me to Gryffindor." -Marinette proudly declared. –"What about you?"

"I'm Slytherin." -Adrien admitted. –"But I'm a nice Slytherin, not like Malfoy or Crabbe or Goyle." -he laughed.

"I believe that." -Marinette chuckled. –"But, you don't look like a Slytherin. If I had to guess it, I would have put you in Hufflepuff."

One thing let to another, and the two began to talk about who in their class would belong to which class. Marinette said that Alya would definitely be a Gryffindor, and the same thing could be said about Ivan, Kim and Alix. The two of them lived for the danger, the glory and the excitement like all Gryffindors. Nino, Rose, Nathaniel and Mylene would be Hufflepuff. Chloé, Sabrina and Juleka would feel right at home as Slytherins, and Max would be the only Ravenclaw.

"Yeah, Max would totally be a Ravenclaw." -Adrien laughed.

"With that big brain of his, he would feel right at home with the other Ravenclaws… although, I think he would find Luna Lovegood to be too loony for his taste." -Marinette commented, between laughs.

Marinette and Adrien had talked in the past, but never like that. It was the very first time that they were not just talking about themselves or about school in general. They were talking about things they loved. They found out they had more interests in common than they thought, and through their conversation, not once, any of them stuttered or ended up nervous.

"Okay, okay, in a fight who would win? Batman, or me as Ladybug?"

"Mmm… tough one. But, I'm going to say Batman, because no matter how strong or resourceful you might be, he's Batman. He's always three steps ahead of everyone."

"What? You're telling me that I couldn't defeat Batman?" -Marinette asked him with a playful voice.

"Hey, you wanted to be honest, I'm being honest." -Adrien told her.

"I could defeat Batman in two swoops!" -Marinette joked.

"And I say that's impawssible…" –

"Please, no more cat puns!" -Marinette giggled –"If you throw one more of those lame cat puns one me, I swear…"

"You'll do what?" -Adrien said playfully, while raising his eyebrow.

"I… I… I don't know, but you know me. I'll improvise!" -Marinette declared, laughing. She really did not know what she would do to Adrien if he used another of his cat puns, of which the list seemed infinite.

"You can't stop me… for I'm unstopawble!"

"There you go again!" -Marinette said sarcastically, before breaking into laughs. –"You're too funny for your own good, Adrien Agreste." -she chuckled.

"Well, I do try." -Adrien said. He was usually super shy, but on that moment, he felt like he could go on forever, cracking jokes and just being funny.

* * *

At the same time, the two of them were enjoying themselves, the school bus carrying Manon had just stopped. Little Manon grabbed her things and prepared to exit the school bus, which stopped right in front of the bakery. The driver had been instructed that that was going to be Manon's stop for the next couple of weeks, but he almost forgot that, while driving each of the kids' home. When bus door open, it had stopped raining, so she did not even open her umbrella. Still, the wind was blowing really hard, making her shiver. Right then, she wanted to get inside, where it was warm. Looking around, she did not see Marinette anywhere. Sabine had told her that Marinette would be waiting for her, but she was nowhere to be seen. Not having much of a choice, Manon went to the bakery's door and looked inside, where she saw no one. She then used her umbrella to reach the doorbell, ringing it nonstop. If Marinette was already home, she would hear that.

Upstairs, Marinette and Adrien heard the doorbell, and Marinette immediately assumed it was Manon. Cursing herself for having forgotten about her, she told Tikki and Plagg to get out of sight, while she went downstairs to open the door.

"Make yourself at home. I'll be right back." -she said, as she opened the trapdoor and went down the stairs.

It only took her a couple of seconds to reach the bottom floor, and when she did, she saw Manon waving at her. Hurrying, she unlocked the door and opened it.

"Hey, Manon!" -Marinette smiled, as she opened the door and let the girl in.

"You forgot about me!" –Manon shot at Marinette. She did not like to wait, especially on a rainy day, when the wind was blowing like crazy outside.

"Oh, I didn't forget about you." -Marinette lied, as she helped her take off her backpack and her raincoat –"I was just… talking to Adrien, and took me longer to get here."

"Adrien? You mean that boy who's your boyfriend?"

"No!" -Marinette practically yelled in panic. –"I-I mean, no, Adrien's just a good friend, who decided to come spend the afternoon with us."

"Does that mean, he's also going to play with me?" -Manon asked eagerly. Having Marinette as her playmate was good, but having someone else to play with as well, to Manon, that was fantastic.

"Yes, well, I guess he's also going to play with you." -Marinette answered her. –"But, before that, you have to promise me that you're going to play nice and you're not going to do anything that upsets Adrien or me, or that embarrasses me, okay?" -she told Manon. –"If you do, you can forget about that new dolly I'm making for you. I'll finish it and I'll give it to some other girl who's been nice, understood?"

Marinette usually did not make that kind of threats, but in that case, she had to make sure Manon would not ruin everything by doing or saying something she should not. The little girl made the most innocent face one could, before looking at Marinette and saying:

"Okay, I promise I'll be good."

"Alright, I believe in you." -Marinette smiled warmly to Manon, as she kneeled in front of her. –"Now, let's go and get you a warm jacket and then, we're going to see what kind of homework you brought with you today."

* * *

On that day Manon had brought tons of homework, so naturally, Marinette had to help her out. Adrien also helped her a little, when Marinette went down to the kitchen to grab them all something to drink with the goodies her parents had left them, for when Manon finished her homework. Opening the cabinets, she finally found what she was looking for. Chocolate milk for the three of them. Grabbing three cartons, she closed the cabinet and hurried back to the bedroom. When the little brunette saw what Marinette was carrying, she immediately wanted to drink one, but the blue-haired girl told her that she had to finish her homework first.

"Oh, but I want to! I want to!" -Manon said, as she began doing baby doll eyes at Marinette. Luckily, unlike what happened with Marinette, Adrien was not affected by that trick of her.

"Now, Manon, don't be like that. Let's finish this first, and then we'll eat together, while watching something cool on the TV, okay?" -Adrien smiled at her.

"Okay." -Manon smiled back.

It was incredible how Manon would just obey anything he told her. To Marinette, that was a feat of pure magic, because she usually would have to promise Manon multiple things to get her to do what she wanted, not to mention that her baby doll eyes trick would end up screwing her best attempts. Smiling, she thought:

" _Not only he's handsome and kind, he's also great with little kids._ " -Marinette thought, as she kept staring at the two of them. –" _I'm sure he's going to be a great dad to our kids… imagine, the two of us, having three, no, four or five kids, all of them playing with each other, while we look at them and wonder just how lucky we are…_ " -she kept imagining it, when she was called back to reality by Adrien.

"Marinette?! Marinette?!" -Adrien called her. –"Marinette!"

"Uh, w-what?! What happened?"

"Spaced out again?" -Adrien smirked.

"I-I guess I have." -Marinette admitted, as she her cheeks blushed lightly. –"Sorry. What was it you were saying?"

"I was saying that while I help Manon finish this, why don't you pick a movie for us all to watch?"

"O-Okay." -Marinette waved her head. -"Any preferences? I mean, you were the one who was going to choose it." -she pointed out.

"I trust you to choose it for me." -Adrien winked at her. When he did that, Marinette's heart skipped a beat, just before starting to pound at full speed.

" _He trusts me…_ " -Marinette mused to herself. –" _Please, if this is a dream, don't let me wake up._ " -she told herself, still thinking about the daydream she had a few seconds before. Just thinking that one day she and Adrien could end up married, made Marinette's heart beat even faster.

* * *

Going through her DVD collection, Marinette tried to find a movie that was both good and suitable to watch with Manon. If she was not there, she would probably grab a horror movie or maybe a thriller movie, so she would have the chance to pretend she was scared, and then beg Adrien to hold her. But, because she was there, that would have to wait for another day. Instead, she was looking for an animated movie for them to watch. The problem was to find one that Manon had not watched yet. Every time she stayed at her place, Manon watched a different movie, and refused to watch again one she had already watched before.

While she did that, Tikki and Plagg were both hiding underneath Marinette's bed. The two of them had been hiding since Manon arrived an hour before, and were both starting to get tired of doing nothing. Feeling bored, Tikki decided to meditate a little. She usually did that when Marinette needed to study, or when she did not feel like watching something on the TV or her laptop. But Plagg, Plagg was going bananas from all that lack of action. He needed something to do, or h would go crazy.

"Please tell me you've got something to help pass the time." -Plagg asked Tikki for the umpteenth time.

"I already told you a thousand times, I've got nothing to help pass the time." -Tikki said, as she tried to concentrate.

"Can't believe your holder doesn't have a single comic book or a videogame console underneath her bed." -Plagg sighed out of boredom. –"Adrien has tones of things underneath his bed… all we have here is dust bunnies, a pair of slippers and… and that's pretty much it."

"Instead of complaining, why don't you do what I do?" -Tikki suggested him.

"Meditate? Forget it… I'm not one to meditate." -Plagg told her.

"Suit yourself, then." -Tikki told him, as she closed her eyes and went back to meditating. – "And please, whatever you do, don't make any noise. I'm trying to focus."

After nearly ten minutes, Marinette found one movie that Manon had not watched yet, The Thief and the Cobbler. It was a film so old that she was certain that Manon had never watched it. She herself could not even remember when she bought the DVD version of it. Smiling triumphantly, she was about to tell both Adrien and Manon the good news, when Manon yelled happily:

"It's done! It's done, I'm finally free!"

"Great, because I've found a movie you're going to love, Manon." -Marinette showed her the box.

"Looks fun! Put it on, put it on, Marinette!" -Manon begged her, after seeing the image on the box's cover.

"What's the magic word?" -Marinette asked her.

"Please?" -Manon answered her.

"Alright, that's better." -Marinette smiled. –"I'll put it on, while you sit down. Adrien, could you bring the tray?"

"Sure." -Adrien told her, as he grabbed the tray.

Already with the movie on, Marinette handed Manon a chocolate croissant and a chocolate milk carton, which she ate without hesitation. As the movie went on, Marinette took the opportunity to get a little closer to Adrien. She did not know where all that courage was coming, that enabled her to do such a thing without getting nervous, but she did not care either. She just saw that as a sign to keep going and enjoying the moment.

" _This isn't how I imagined our first date would go… but I can't say I'm not enjoying myself._ " -Marinette thought. –" _Today, I learned a little more about Adrien, and I hope that he has learned a little about me too._ " -she thought, while looking at him.

Unknown to her, Adrien was also thinking something similar about her, and about their date.

" _Marinette is something else…_ " -Adrien told himself. –" _She may not admit it, but not only she's pretty and talented, she's also a great babysitter._ " -he mused about. –" _This is definitely how I pictured my first date with her, but I can't complain… this has been the best date I've ever had._ "


	8. Study Time

Marinette and Adrien's first date was one of a kind, to say the least. Still, they did not talk about it with anyone else, not even with their best friends, Alya and Nino. But, of course, that did not prevent them from asking what had happened, especially Alya, who wanted details on what had happened.

"Come on, girl, give me something to go on!" -Alya practically begged her. She had invited Marinette to come shopping for a new cell phone, because hers had died the previous night. They went to a store near their school. The store itself was not very big; it was a neighbourhood store, but still, it had some of the latest models when it came to cell phones, smartphones and gadgets. Alya was not a big fan of huge stores with numerous employees, mostly because it was always a big commotion. In a neighbourhood store, even if it was full, a person could hear her own thoughts and make a decision on what to buy. On that afternoon, it was just her, Marinette and a couple of more people in the store, who were also looking for new cell phones.

"I'm not telling you, anything, Alya." -Marinette smiled to her.

"Come on, Marinette, give her something!" -Trixx practically begged her, from the inside of Alya's backpack. –"If you don't, she's going to keep saying that you don't tell her anything, and I'll be stuck hearing her say that she doesn't have a single gossip to go on!"

"I thought you loved gossip." -Marinette whispered to the small kwami.

"I do, but it's when the gossip is good and there's a lot of it. In your case, we've got nothing." -the fox kwami sighed. –"Can't you give

"She's right." -Alya begged once more, as she checked a cell phone that had caught her attention. Tikki hearing the brunette, felt sorry for her, and whispered to Marinette:

"Come on, Marinette, tell her."

"Oh, fine… I guess I can tell you one little thing." -Marinette said. –"We had fun, and it was a great first date."

"Just that?!" -Alya exclaimed. –"I could tell that from the way you're smiling today, Marinette." -she declared. –"Come on, gie me something juicy! What did you talk about? What did you do?"

"Sorry, but that's all you're going to get." -Marinette smirked. –"And before you say anything, don't bother asking Nino, because Adrien won't tell him anything either. We both agreed to keep what happened just a secret, between the two of us." -she kept smirking.

"Oooooh, if you're saying that, then something really hot happened." -Alya said.

"What?! No, no, no, no! Nothing like that happened!" -Marinette panicked. The face she made only contributed for Alya to laugh ever harder.

"I'm just kidding with you!" -Alya kept laughing. –"S-Sorry, but your face when I said that… it was priceless." -she said, as she tried as hard as she could to stop laughing.

"You really are mean, Alya." -Marinette said with a sulking voice.

"Oh, come on, this wouldn't happen if you just tell me what happened." -Alya smirked. –"But, if you don't want to, I'll respect that."

"Thanks." -Marinette told her. She really had a wonderful time with Adrien, and she wanted to keep all that happened during their date just between him and her. –"Oh, look at this one. This one here is practically screaming your name."

"You think?" -Alya asked, as she checked the one Marinette was pointing to. Looking at it she liked it. Visually, it was appealing to the eye, but would it have the specifications she was looking for in a cell phone? That was the big question there. Looking at it closely, she saw that it really was a great cell phone; the kind she was in need right now. But its price was a little too expensive. –"I don't know. I didn't want to spend so much on a new one."

"But, do you have the money?" -Marinette asked her.

"I do, but… if I spend this much, I won't be able to buy anything else at least until December." -Alya admitted. The more she looked at the

"Do you really need one as good as this one I showed you?" -Marinette asked her. When she pointed at it, she did not even look at the price. Now that she had seen it, she was sorry she even suggested it to her.

"I don't, but…" -Alya said.

"But you like it, don't you?" –Marinette asked her. 

"Yeah, I do."

"Why don't you ask your parents to give you an advance in your allowances? That way, you could buy it, without worrying about not having money later, girl." -Trixx suggested her.

"I could, but I know what my mom would say. She would say "If you don't need a cell as good as that one, then why buy it, when you can buy a less expensive one?" -Alya answered her. –"I guess, I'll just have to buy another one."

Hearing her say that, broke Marinette's heart. She could see the sadness in Alya's eyes. She really wanted that cell phone, and it was that same sadness that made her decide to help her out. Being her best friend, she had the duty of helping her out; after all, Alya had helped her before, in more ways than one. Now, it was her turn to help her.

"How much would you need?"

"Another 60 Euros, but it doesn't matter."

"Hold on." .Marinette told her, as she pulled out her wallet, and checked its content. Smiling, she said. –"I'll help you buy it."

"Marinette, no! I can't accept it!" -Alya told her. –"Please, it's your money."

"You're right, it's my money, and I'll spend it as I want to. And right now, I want to help my best friend buy something she really wants." -Marinette told her with a determined voice.

"But, Marinette…"

"Alya, you've been my best friend for as long as I can remember, and I want to help you." -Marinette told her, as she took out the money. –"My grandmother gave me this money for my last birthday and I've been saving it for a special occasion. And you know what? That special occasion has arrived." -she smiled. –"So, please, take it."

Alya could not help but to shed a tear of joy, when Marinette handed her the money. Carried away by the emotions, she placed her arms around the blue-haired girl and hugged her as hard as she could. The other people who were inside the store wondered what was going on, but before they could understand it, Alya released Marinette and there was an awkward silent between the two of them, which was broken by Alya herself.

"So, hum… thanks." -Alya told her. She could still not believe what her friend had done for her.

"Don't mention it." -Marinette smiled warmly at Alya.

"As soon as I can, I'll give it back to you." -Alya promised her.

"No, you don't need to do it. It's a present, from me to you." -Marinette told her.

"Thanks, but, I'll still find a way to pay you back." -the brunette insisted on the matter.

"You want to pay me back? Then, keep watching my back, like you've been doing ever since we were little, okay?" -Marinette smiled.

Alya was not used to seeing Marinette behaving that maturely. Most of the times, she would be the grown-up in the conversation, and not Marinette, who would act like the little kid that was always getting herself into trouble. She did not say it, but she was proud of her friend right then.

"Okay, I can do that." -Alya told her. –"Now, come on, let's buy this things, before I start to act all sappy and someone who knows us shows up and sees me like that." -she joked about it.

As Alya asked the store owner for the cell phone she wanted to buy, Tikki flew as fast as lightning bolt from Marinette's backpack, hiding herself behind the girl's ear, and whispered to her:

"That was nice thing you did for Alya, Marinette."

"It was nothing." -Marinette whispered back at her kwami. –"She would have done the same thing for me." -she smiled. –"It's like I say, she's my sister from another mother. And there's nothing we wouldn't do for one another, nothing."

* * *

Two days went by, and things were getting more complicated than ever for all the members in the Miraculous Team. It was exam week, and the pressure was high for all of them. They would rather be out patrolling the city, hanging out with together, or dedicating themselves to one of their many hobbies. Still, they could not risk getting bad grades, because if that happened, they would be grounded by their parents and forced to stay home studying, grounded and doing complementary works to raise their grades. If Hawk Moth and one of his goons decided to akumatize someone, they would not be able to go and fight them.

To prevent such a thing from happening, they all had no other option but to grab their school books and start studying, some more than others. The next test was going to be about Biology, and it was sufficient to say that that was not Marinette's favourite subject, giving her an extra reason to study the subject as hard as she could. Unfortunately, it was easier said than done. Having Manon at her place, prevented Marinette from fully focusing on her studies. The little girl was always demanding attention from her, and Marinette had to always keep an eye on her. It seemed that on that day, Manon was even more restless than usual. This only contributed to all the techniques she had to deal with the little girl to not work at all. She asked her mom to take care of her for a couple of hours, but with the amount of work at the bakery, that was simply impossible for her. Sighing in defeat, Marinette would just have to wait until after dinner to be able to study in peace.

" _Calm down, Marinette. After dinner, mom will look after her and you'll be able to get some studying done._ " -she told herself.

"Come on, Marinette! What happened next? What happened to the prince?" -Manon asked. She had wanted Marinette to tell her a story using her collection of puppets. The blue-haired girl had tried to get Manon to do something else, but her efforts to that happen failed. Sighing, Marinette went on with the puppet show.

"When he saw the dragon that was protecting the fair princess on the tower, the prince decided that attacking the ferocious beast would be suicide, so he…" -Marinette said, while moving the puppets.

After dinner, Sabine told Manon that Marinette had to study, so she was going to stay with her. Leaving Manon with her mom, Marinette marched to her room, with the intention of cramming as much theory in her brain as she could. Grabbing her things, she sat at her desk and began to read and take notes. But, not long after, Marinette's focus began to fail. The more she tried to read what she had in front of her eyes, the harder it was. She could not focus, and the worst part was that she began to feel tired, super tired, like she had run a marathon or fought an akuma; no doubt a side effect from keeping an eye on Manon and entertaining her all afternoon. Feeling that she might need a break, she grabbed her cell phone and called Alya. Talking to her always made her feel better, where it was physically or psychologically.

"Hey, girl, what's up?" -Alya asked her. Marinette could tell that just like her, Alya was also tired; her voice gave it away.

"I'm dead tired, Alya…" -Marinette said. –"I've got a ton of things to study for tomorrow's test, and I have virtually no energy to even pick up the book and start reading it."

"Manon's giving you a hard time?"

"Totally…" -Marinette sighed. –"She had me telling her countless stories with my puppets today. I thought that after two or three stories, she would get bored and do something else like watching TV or playing with one of my dolls, but no. And when I finished a story, she demanded another one. I lost count of how many I told her. Not to mention she demanded that I used the puppets, even when I told her the story did not need puppets." -she told Alya.

"You're a better storyteller than you give yourself credit for. If you weren't, Manon wouldn't even have asked you to do that puppet show." -Alya said. –"But, at least you just have one to give you a headache. In my case, I have two." -she declared.

"Your sisters too?"

"Yeah, Ella and Etta spent most of the afternoon running around the house, making noise. I still tried to make them stop by offering them Trixx to play with… you can imagine just how reluctantly she accepted the job, but it turns out, the two of them did not want to play with her today." -Alya told her. –"It was only when my dad came from work that they calmed down and I was finally able to have some peace and quiet to study." -she declared.

The two of them kept talking for another 15 or 20 minutes, and the more they did, the more Marinette believed she was going to get an F- on the Biology test. She was so tired, she could hardly keep her eyes opened. Tikki herself, seeing her like that tried to cheer her up, but with no positive results.

"What's going on?" -the brunette asked her, after hearing some noises in the background.

"Tikki's trying to cheer me up into keep studying, but no matter what, I'm too tired to do it." -Marinette answered her.

"Trixx would be doing the same to me, if she hadn't fallen asleep a couple of hours ago. She's been really sleepy lately." -Alya commented.

"I can totally sympathize with her." -Marinette answered her friend, yawning. –"I'm totally bushed."

"I can see that." -Alya said. –"You used the word "totally" two time in a row. You only do that when you're super tired." -the brunette declared. Knowing Marinette for as long as she did, she knew exactly how the blue-haired girl behaved when tiredness was heavying in on her.

"I need to sleep…" -Marinette told her. –"I know I should be cramming, but my brain doesn't want to. I'm going to flunk, but I don't care. I need to sleep, Alya. I'll see you in school tomorrow." -she said, as she hung up, not even giving Alya the time to say goodbye to her. She was going to turn off the lamp on her desk, and then drag herself to bed, when Tikki stopped her. –"Tikki?!"

"I can't let you do this, Marinette." -Tikki told her with a serious voice. –"You need to study for that exam. If you don't, you're really going to flunk at it."

"But I'm so tired, Tikki. My brain just wants to shut down for the night" -Marinette told her.

"I understand that you are tired, but you have to try it. Even if you get a bad grade, it can be less bad, if you study a little, because if you don't, you're definitely going to have zero on it." -Tikki insisted on the matter. She could tell that Marinette was really tired, but it was like they said, "No pain, no gain.". The blue-haired girl had to study a little at least. –"Look, try to study just a little bit, okay? Study for an hour or so, and then, you can go to sleep. I'll wake you earlier, so you can study a little bit more, okay?"

Hearing her say those words, Marinette just smiled at her kwami. It was going to be hard for her, but she was going to study a little bit, at least until she could keep her eyes open.

"Okay, I'll do it." -Marinette said, as she lazily grabbed her book, while doing her best to keep her eyes open, and began to read. –"Cell theory states that the cell is the fundamental unit of life, that all living things are composed of one or more cells, and that all cells arise from other cells through cell division. In multicellular organisms, every cell in the organism's body derives ultimately from a single cell in a fertilized egg. The cell is also considered to be the basic unit in many pathological processes… this is so boring…" -she sighed in despair.

"Come on, Marinette. Keep going!" -Tikki cheered for her. Hearing her say those words, gave Marinette enough incentive to go on with her studying.

* * *

After dinner, Max told his parents that he was going to his room to study for the Biology test. But in reality, he was going to do some investigating while studying for the exam. Ever since they saw that video of Reptile escaping into the sewers after Haute Couture was defeated, that the team had begun to wonder where Hawk Moth's secret hideout would be located. Max had taken upon himself to try and locate it, basing his assumptions on the clues he occasionally found either on the Miraculous Blog or in some news website he felt it was legit. If there was one shred of evidence that could lead him and the rest of the team to the villain's hideout, he had it in his laptop.

Pulling the chair, he sat at the desk, taking out the Biology book from his backpack, while turning on the laptop. As he did that, Ari, his kwami showed up, floating in front of him. Like always, Max had brought him something for him from the kitchen, and on that day, it was Ari's favourite food, strawberries. He had brought with him a bowl of strawberries his dad had bought that afternoon. Seeing them, Ari wasted no time in devouring them. One by one, the spider kwami ate them all. And while he did this, Max worked on his attempt to locate Hawk Moth's hideout, while reading one of the chapters of his Biology book.

"It's amazing on how you can do two different things at the same time, without losing focus on either." -Ari said, as he bit one of the strawberries. From all the holders he had had, Max was one of the most brilliant, and he made sure to compliment him on his intelligence and resourcefulness, whenever he could.

"Thanks, but most people can do two things at once."

"Maybe, but I'm pretty sure that only a handful can do research and study for an important exam at the same time." -Ari told him. –"How's it going with pinpointing the location of Hawk Moth's hideout?"

"Not so good, I'm afraid…" -Max declared. –"I keep adding new data to the map I came up with to show the places where we've seen Akuma attacks and possible appearances from Hawk Moth himself, or one of his minions, and I can't see a pattern." -he said –"I knew that I shouldn't have promised to everyone that I would find the bad guys' lair that night…"

(Flashback)

_A few days had gone by, since the video showing Reptile escaping through a manhole was sent to the Miraculous Blog email account, and the team felt that it was time for them to investigate the manhole in question. They knew of course they would not find a direct route to Hawk Moth's lair, but they were at least hoping that Reptile had left something behind that would tell them which direction he might have taken. Waiting until around midnight, some of the members of the team decided to meet at one of the feet of the Eiffel Tower. They had agreed that it would be pointless for all of them go, so Ladybug asked for volunteers, who would not mind going down into the sewers. Those who volunteered were Volpina, Arachnid, Grizzly Bear and Antelope._

_The first one to arrive at the meeting point was Antelope, who used his speed to get there in no time. Hoping into one of the beams, he waited for the others to show up, while trying to stay away from the prying eyes of the people that were still in the area. Though it was late, there were a few people around, mostly tourists and maybe a cop or two patrolling the area._

_"_ _I don't mind being seen, but I bet that if they see me they'll want to take pictures and selfies, and even ask for autographs. And quite honestly, after the day I had, I'm not really in the mood." -Antelope said. He was grouchy because on that day he had forgotten to do his homework and Miss Bustier forced him to stay after school to do some extra work, to compensate for the homework he did not make. Not only that prevented him from joining the rest of the class on training, but he also arrived home later than usual, prompting his mother to ask him what had happened. When he told her what happened, she scolded him and told him that until the end of the week, he was to come home right after school, a punishment he felt he did not deserve, but decided not to say anything, fearing his mother would ground him even more._

_Not long after, Volpina joined him, coming through the air. A few minutes later, it was Grizzly Bear who arrived. And last, but not least, Arachnid, who had actually fallen asleep, while waiting for the right time to exit home. If it was not for Ari, who woke him up, the rest of the group would have waited for him until dawn._

_"_ _Sorry, I fell asleep."_

_"_ _Never mind that now. We better get going." -Volpina said. –"Do you know which is the manhole we have to check?"_

_"_ _Yeah, don't worry. I checked it on Google Street and I know just where it is."_

_"_ _Then, lead the way." -she told him. –"The sooner we do this, the sooner I get back to my bed."_

_From where they were, it took them roughly two minutes to get there, and it would have taken them 10 seconds, if they all moved as fast as Antelope, who kept stressing that he wanted to do that and go home. A good night sleep was what he needed after the day he had. To make sure they would not be disturbed, Volpina used her powers to create an illusion around the manhole, giving them, some cover and allowing them to work at will. Kneeling, Grizzly pulled the manhole cover, opening it._

_"_ _So, what's the plan?" -Grizzly Bear asked them. –"We go down there and we look around to see if Reptile's still down there?" -he asked sarcastically._

_"_ _No, we're going to check the place for clues. It's been more than week since our fight with Haute Couture, so there's little chance of anything Reptile might have left behind him to still be around, but we need to check it out." -Arachnid told him._

_The stench coming from the sewers was powerful enough to raise the dead from their tombs. The smell was a nasty combination of several stenches, mixed with putrefaction and decay. When riding the underground, they had already smelled it, but not in that amount._

_"_ _I'm starting to regret having volunteered for this." -Volpina said. –"I should have let you boys take care of this by yourselves. Down here stinks."_

_"_ _And it sure won't smell better if you wait. The faster we go down, the faster we get out." -Antelope told her. –"Who's going first?"_

_"_ _I'll go…" -Arachnid said, as he held his breath._

_Going down the manhole, the spider hero had to be careful not to slip. Because the walls were all covered in a nasty and smelly kind of muck, even his ability to stick himself to all kinds of surfaces felt diminished, as he slowly and carefully went down the manhole. As he went down, the stench became even stronger and he was forced to breathe through his mouth. The darkness inside forced him to use a flashlight he had brought with him for such a case. Turning it on, he saw that he was still a couple of feet from the bottom. The only sound it was heard was the sound of his footsteps and the water running through the tunnels._

_"_ _Okay, I'm down here. I'm going to start looking for anything that remotely looks like a clue. You guys get down here as well."_

_One by one, with Volpina being the last, they went down the manhole, with flashlights. Arachnid wasted no time in looking for clues. But, just like he had predicted, there was nothing there that Reptile might have left behind upon his escape. It was probably taken by the rain, or, he probably never left anything behind him._

_"_ _I don't see anything here that might qualify as a clue." -Grizzly Bear said. –"And I think I stepped on something that I'm not sure I want to know what it really was."_

_"_ _One thing's for certain, though. Captain America and Iron Man don't have to check sewers for bad guys." -Antelope said._

_"_ _Maybe not them, but Batman and Spider-Man sure do that." -Arachnid told him. –"Those two have spent more time in the sewers than most superheroes ever do in their whole careers in the comics."_

_The longer they stayed down there, the more they felt they were wasting their time. Any kind of clues that might have been down there had either been taken away or were never there to begin with. But, when they were about to give up, Arachnid spotted something on the muck covered wall. Pointing his flashlight, he found what looked like claw marks._

_"_ _Guys! I think I might have found something!" -he exclaimed to the others, who were in the other tunnels. Joining him, he showed them what he had found. Upon closer inspection, he was sure those were claw marks. But not just your ordinary claw marks. They were not down by any known animal. Because, not only were there too high to have been done by an animal who walked on all fours, but there were no known animals who walked on two legs and had claws like that. It could have only been done by Reptile. –"These were definitely done by Reptile. Unless Hawk Moth got himself, another minion who has sharp claws, these were done by that green-skinned psychopath." -he declared, as he pointed out the marks on the wall. Whoever had done it, clearly dug his claws on the wall in fury._

_"_ _It's not that I don't like you founding a clue, but, what good is finding claw marks? It just tells us he was here, and we already knew that." -Antelope asked._

_"_ _I'll tell you why It's good. Do you see these? These are deeper here, which tells us that he went this way, and not the opposite direction. Plus, it also tells us that he chose this particular tunnel, and not one of the other tunnels." -Arachnid told him. –"It tells us that he went…" -he said, as he checked a compass he had brought with him. –"… east, and that could mean Hawk Moth's hideout could be in that direction."_

_"_ _That's a mighty big "if", Arachnid." -Volpina told him. –"It's not that I'm saying you are wrong, but it might be just a coincidence that he chose this tunnel." -she hypothesised, and thought that could only be a hypothesis, Volpina whished she was right about it._

_"_ _You're right, it's only a hypothesis, but, it could also be the clue that can kickstart our search for the hideout in the right direction." -Arachnid said. –"I think we need to go a little further, and see if there are more traces of him in this direction."_

_"_ _That's going to take us all night, man!" -Grizzly warned him. –"We have school in the morning, and I'm sure that after this, I'm going to need to take a bath."_

_"_ _We all will." -Volpina said. The more they spent down there, the more she felt like the smell was entrenching on her uniform._

_"_ _It could take us all night… or, it could take us 5 minutes." -Antelope said. –"I'll check the tunnels and see if there are any more claw marks, to see if we have another lead to follow."_

_Telling the others to get back, he walked down the tunnel, with his flashlight in hand. Then, using his speed, he ran as fast as he could down the tunnels, looking for any kind of lead that could tell them where Reptile went next. Still, he found nothing. But, Antelope was not someone who gave up that easily. Passing another round to the tunnels he checked, he looked for anything that he might have failed to notice, but no such luck. Turning around, he speeded back to where Volpina and the others were._

_"_ _So?" -Volpina asked him, as he stopped in front of them._

_"_ _Nothing." -Antelope said. –"Either he's got some power that allows him to go through walls or whatever, or he found a way out of the sewers that I couldn't see."_

_"_ _Well, doesn't matter. I wasn't really hoping to find out how he did it. But, it's not a total bust. We at least know he might have gone east through this tunnel." -Arachnid said. –"With that, I could try and cross-reference other clues we might find when Hawk Moth or his minions attack again, and find his hideout. It's a long shot, and it will take some time to do it, but it's better than nothing, right?" -he declared. He believed he could do it. Following Master Fu's advice, they agreed on not going after Hawk Moth until he decided they would be ready for him, but they did not say they would not try and find where the psychopath was hiding._

_"_ _When you put it that way, yeah." -Grizzly smiled._

_"_ _If there is one person who can do that, it's you, bro." -Antelope said._

_"_ _Uh, if we're not doing anything else here, can we please get the heck out of here? I don't want to smell like I was in a dump." -Volpina told them. The smell was making her nauseated by the minute. If there was enough light, they would probably see that she was turning green._

_"_ _Yeah, I think we better get going." -Grizzly Bear said. He too was starting to feel sick with that stench._

_"_ _Yeah, you're right." -Arachnid said. –"Let's get out of here."_

(End of Flashback)

"Oh, don't say that. You'll find it, sooner or later." -Ari told him. –"Besides, you've got time." -he pointed out. –"Remember what Master Fu advised you. Do not go after Hawk Moth until you have full control of your powers, and until you do, you have plenty of time to find it."

"Yeah, maybe you're right." -Max admitted. –"But, I still don't like the fact that I can't solve this." -he said, as he inserted new data in the map he had created on his computer. –"I mean, I'm supposed to be smartest person in that class. This should be easy for me."

"Max, just because you're smart, that doesn't mean you are supposed to know everything." -Ari told him, as he hovered in front of his face.

"I know, but… I feel like I'm letting everyone down." -he sighed.

"You're not letting one down, because you haven't been able to solve this yet." -Ari declared. –"You just need more time to do it." -he said. –"And furthermore, instead of being around that map and looking at possible clues, you should be reviewing the matter for your exam tomorrow morning."

"Don't worry about it, I know just about everything that could be in that exam." -Max smirked.

"Even so, it wouldn't be a bad idea to do that, so you get a perfect score tomorrow morning." -Ari advised him.

"Okay, alright, you win." -Max said, as he turned off the computer and grabbed his Biology book. –"I'll read it, but just a little bit. I practically know every word in it." -he said, making Ari chuckle.

* * *

Since his dad would arrive later, Adrien told Nathalie that he would be eating dinner in his room. He was not a big fan of eating alone, but he was used to it, and on that particular night he was okay with it; he had a lot of studying to do. Though he paid attention in class and liked Biology, he knew he had to study. He did not want to give his dad an excuse to ground him and force him to stay home, when he so desperately wanted to go out and spend time with his friends.

But, on that night, he was going to receive the visit of an unexpected guest, who was coming to pay him a visit. Adrien had just finished re-reading his notes from class, when he heard someone knocking at his window. Because he was so focused on his studying, the noise startled him. Looking at the window, he saw none other than his friend Nino in his Jade Turtle uniform, waving at him. Dropping his book, he went to open the window. As he opened it, he noticed that his friend was holding a pizza box.

"Pizza? Really? And then you don't want me and Kim to call you a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle." -Adrien told him.

"Just because I like pizza and I'm a turtle hero, that doesn't make me a Ninja Turtle, bro." -Jade Turtle declared. –"Besides, none of the Ninja Turtles has tonfas for weapons. These here are exclusive." -he joked.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." -Adrien chuckled. –"Remember, I also watch the series. Now get in here, it's freezing out there."

Accepting his invitation, Jade Turtle entered, as Adrien closed the window. Placing the pizza on the ground, he transformed back into his civilian self, while his kwami flew around his head.

"Hope you don't mind I showed up." -Nino said. –"My parents are both working tonight, and I was home alone."

"Are you kidding?! It's always a pleasure to have you here, bro." -Adrien said. –"But, shouldn't you be studying?"

"I figured I would be your study partner. You know that I usually study better when I have someone to ask me questions." -Nino said.

"What about the pizza?"

"It's my dinner. I think and study better on a full stomach." -Nino joked. –"You can have a slice, if you want to."

"Thanks, but I just had dinner." -Adrien told him. –"Well, if we're going to study, we might as well start." -Adrien said, as he

"You got it!" -Nino said, as he sat on the floor and opened the pizza box to reveal a still warm pizza with all kinds of toppings on it. –"And I start my study session, by saying that when it comes to it, this pizza is delicious!" -he joked, as he ate a slice.

"Hey, Wayzz, if you want to rest a little, you can join Plagg over there." -he pointed to the black cat kwami, who was seated in front of the television, watching a series he had found. Because Adrien was studying, he had muted the television and was reading the subtitles.

"Thank you." -Wayzz humbly thanked him, as he flew over to where Plagg was. He noticed that beside him, he had a bowl full of cheese puffs, which smelled awfully bad. The turtle kwami was not a big fan of cheese, or anything related to it, but Plagg, he could spend his whole existence, eating nothing but stinky cheese. –"Evening, Plagg."

"Hey there. Didn't expect to see you here tonight." -Plagg saluted him.

"I make your words mine." -Wayzz said. –"Nino caught me by surprise when he said he wanted to come here to study with Adrien." -the turtle kwami declared.

"Well, make yourself right at home." -Plagg said, as he tilted the bowl, making two cheese puffs fall into his mouth. –"You want some?" -he asked Wayzz, talking with his mouth full.

"Er… no, thank you. I'm good." -Wayzz said, feeling a slightly grossed out by Plagg's manners.

"Suit yourself, then." -Plagg said, as he kept watching the show.


	9. Patience is the Key

Morning came faster than one would want, especially one that did not have his usual beauty sleep in full, like Marinette. Tikki had forced her to study for a couple of hours, before letting her go to bed, warning her that she would wake her up early, so she could study a little longer. And, when the clock stroke 6, Tikki did just that; she dragged Marinette out of her bed. With her brain still half-asleep, Marinette sat at her desk and began to study. Unfortunately, she was sleepy, that she fell asleep on the book she was reading, and this time, Tikki was not able to wake her up. The little kwami still posed the option of waking her up by dropping a glass of water on her head, but she did not have the heart to do it. It was obvious for her that Marinette was really tired, so instead of trying to wake her up, Tikki decided to let her sleep.

“It’s best if you rest, Marinette.” -Tikki thought to herself, as she used all her strength to drag the blanket in Marinette’s bed, and cover her with it.  

When her alarm clock sounded, Marinette, not remembering she was not in her bed anymore, tried to silence it, only to fall from the chair and land with her right shoulder on the floor. The impact and the stinging pain was enough to wake her up almost instantly. She did not break anything, but the pain would bother her the rest of the morning.

“Ouch!” -Marinette said, as she tried to stand on her feet. Her cry woke up Tikki, who had fallen asleep right next to the laptop’s mouse.

“Marinette!?! Are you okay?” -Tikki asked her, after the girl’s cry awakened her.

“Ouch… yeah, I think so.” -Marinette said.

“Did you break anything?” -Tikki asked her.

“No, I don’t think so.” -Marinette said, as she rubbed her shoulder, trying to ease the pain. –“I’m just sore from this shoulder.” -she kept rubbing it.

“I’m sorry, I should have tried to take you back to your bed, instead of just leaving you here with that blanket.” -Tikki apologized herself.

“It’s okay, Tikki. Besides, this time I didn’t take 10 minutes to get out of bed when the alarm went out.” -Marinette smiled, as she looked around and saw her biology books. –“Too bad I couldn’t stay awake to study a little bit more, when you woke me up.” -she sighed.

“I’m sorry too. I wanted to wake you up again, but you were so sleepy that I couldn’t wake you.” -Tikki told her.

“It’s okay. I’m going to flunk on the test anyway.” -Marinette said. –“At least you tried.” -she told her, seeing the scarlet kwami with a sad face. –“Come on, I’m the one who should be sad with this, not you.”

“But…”

“But nothing…” -Marinette smiled at her. –“I know you’re the one who’s supposed to give advices when things get rough, but this time, it’s my time to tell you not to worry.” -she told her.  

“Okay.” -Tikki smiled at Marinette. She still felt like she had failed the girl, but she did not want to show it, so she did her best to hide that feeling.

“Now, let me check the time.” -the girl checked the clock. –“Hmm… I still got time today, so I’m going to take a quick shower and then, pick something cute to wear to school.” -she said, as she looked outside and saw that it was raining. –“Well, whatever it is I choose, I better take my umbrella too, because it’s raining cats and dogs outside.”

She had not given two steps, when her left foot went against one of the feet of her chair, hitting it with her pinkie toe. The pain was strong enough to make Marinette drop on her knees, as she cursed her bad luck. Ever since she was little that her feet, whether she wanted or not, to go against the furniture corners. She never broke one of her toes, but on that morning, she felt like she did it. Huffing and puffing in pain, she did her best not to start swearing like an old sailor. Tikki, seeing this happen, immediately went to check her toe, but could not, because Marinette had wrapped her hands around her foot, trying to ease the pain.

“Marinette, please, let me check it.” -the kwami asked her.

“Ouch, ouch… I think it’s broken Tikki.” -Marinette tried not to talk too loud. She did not want her mom or Manon to come check on her and find out about Tikki. –“Ouch, it hurts! It’s definitely broken!”

“Let me be the judge of it.” -Tikki told her in the eyes. –“Come on, let me check, please.” -she begged Marinette, who slowly released her foot, allowing the small kwami to take a look at her little tow. Tikki examined it in silence, touching it real gently with her little paws, and every time she touched it, the pain made Marinette felt like she was seeing stars. Still, the girl did not say anything. After a couple of seconds, Tikki smiled and said: –“Don’t worry, it’s not broken. I’m sure you feel like it’s broken, but it isn’t. It’s just really sore”

“Are you sure?” -Marinette asked her. The pain she was in, made it difficult to believe Tikki was telling her the truth.  

“Absolutely.” -Tikki assured her. –“But, if I were you I would be careful where you step for a couple of hours.”

“Thanks…” -Marinette said, as she got up. –“I don’t know about you, but, I’m starting to think that I’ve been jinxed…” -she told her, as she slowly got back on her feet, being careful to keep her left foot up on the air. –“Tell me, Hawk Moth doesn’t have any powers that allow him to jinx someone, does he?”  

“Nope, he can’t jinx you. And even if he had that kind of powers, he would most certainly need to know that you are Ladybug to jinx you.” -Tikki told her. –“Plus, if he had powers like those, he wouldn’t settle himself for just making you hurt your shoulder and your toe.” -she said.  

“Yeah, he would probably go for my head, if he could.” -Marinette said, as she closed the bathroom door behind her.  

* * *

When she arrived at school, Marinette felt like she had been run over by a truck. Everything bad that could happen to her happened. She hurt herself twice before taking a shower; at breakfast, she bit her tongue; and then, to make matters worse, when she was already on her way to school, it started to rain, her umbrella was taken by the crazy wind that was blowing, and she lost her bus. As she entered through the main entrance, she looked like the younger sister of Sadako Yamamura, also known as Samara from the horror movie The Ring. As she passed by the other students, on her way to her class, they wondered what could have happened to her. Going up the stairs, she asked herself how her day could get any worst, when she almost slipped on the stairs and hit her knee on one of the steps. Luckily, this did not happen, but if it had, she would absolutely believe she had been jinxed.

“This has got to be the worst say ever…” -Marinette told herself, when Alya, who was outside the classroom, spotted her.

“Well, what happened to you, girl?” -Alya asked her, shocked to see just how her friend looked.

“Murphy’s law happened to me, that’s what.” -Marinette said sarcastically. –“I must look like a wet dog…” -she sighed.

“Well, now that you mention it, you kinda do.” -Alya told her. –“We better try and dry you a little bit, or you’re going to end up catching a cold.” -she said, as they walked to the girls room. –“You don’t have by chance a change of clothes with you?”

“Nope…” -Marinette rolled her eyes. She was really having one of the worst days ever.

Inside the girls’ room, Chloé and Sabrina had taken advantage of Miss Bustier still not have arrived yet to retouch their make-up; or better yet, Chloé was retouching it, while Sabrina made sure it was alright. The blonde had just finished putting some mascara, when she turned to Sabrina and asked her how it looked like.

“Sabrina, what do you think?”

“I think it’s okay.” -Sabrina smiled at her.

“You want to put some too?” -Chloé asked her friend.

“Oh, no thanks. I don’t need it.” -Sabrina said, when Alya and Marinette entered the room. Seeing how Marinette looked, she could not help herself and asked her what had happened. –“What happened to you, Marinette?”

“You look like a wet dog!” -Chloé giggled. –“S-Sorry, but I just couldn’t help it.”

“It’s okay. I really do feel like one.” -Marinette sighed.

“Not for long.” -Alya smiled to her. –“All we need to do is dry this hair of yours, and you’ll look better in no time.” -she declared, as she pulled Marinette’s scrunchies, undoing her pigtails and releasing her hair. –“One of these days you’re going to have to stop wearing those pigtails.”

“You want me to go back wearing my hair like I did about two years ago?” -Marinette asked her. Before wearing her hair like that, she wore it in a bun.

“No, girl!” -Alya laughed a little. –“I’m just saying that you have such a beautiful hair, you should wear it in a more, what’s the word, fashionable way.” -she suggested.

“For once, I agree with her. You should totally wear your hair loose.” -Chloé said.

“Thanks for the advice, you two, but I think, that for now, I’m going to keep wearing it in two beautiful pigtails.” -Marinette smiled.

“I like your pigtails. They give you an innocent and playful look.” -Sabrina smiled at Marinette.

“Thanks, Sabrina.” -the blue-haired girl smiled.

“We really need to dry this hair of yours, or you’re really going to catch a cold.” -Alya declared. –“Too bad none of us has a hairdryer here. That would make this so much easier.” -she said, as she looked around for some way to dry Marinette’s hair. She still pondered using the blue-haired girl’s jacket, but it was soaked.   

“Who says we don’t?” -Chloé asked her. –“I have one, right here.” -she declared.

“You carry around a hairdryer in your backpack?! Seriously?” -Alya asked the blonde, baffled with that revelation.

“You never know when you might need one.” -Chloé said, as she was taking it from her backpack. –“Here, she definitely needs it more than I do, right now.” -she handed it to Alya. –“You can give it back to me later. Come on, Sabrina. Let’s check if Miss Bustier has already arrived.”

Exiting the girls room, they left Alya and Marinette alone. Using Chloé’s hairdryer, Alya combed Marinette’s hair, while blowing it. In just a couple of minutes, her hair was back to its old silky blue self again. She also used it to dry a little Marinette’s clothes, as the later fixed up her hair in her usual hairstyle. Finished, she looked herself in the mirror.

“Well, at least I don’t look like I came out of the shower with my clothes on, anymore.” -Marinette said. –“Now, if I could only get rid of the pain in my shoulder and in my pinkie finger, I would be alright.”  

“I’m afraid I can’t help you with that one, girl.” -Alya said, as she turned off the hairdryer.

“Still, this day can’t get any worse.” -Marinette declared. –“I mean, I know I’m kind of clumsy and all, but with everything that has happened to me since I woke up, I must have had my share of bad luck for today.” -she said, trying to believe her own words.

“You might want to keep that thought to yourself, because I’ve got news that will make it a lot worse.” -Alya told her. She did not want to ruin Marinette’s day even more, but she felt that it would be best if she found out through her, instead of someone else.  

“What are you talking about?” -Marinette asked.

“Remember that field trip to Versailles we had scheduled in November?” -Alya asked her, and Marinette waved her head. –“Well, turns out, it was cancelled, because Miss Mendeleiev wants to take our class to a boring chemistry exhibit on that very same day. As if we needed more reasons to hate that woman.” -she said. Unlike Miss Bustier, Miss Mendeleiev was the opposite of what a good teacher should be. Alix herself had once compared her to Severus Snape, but without the “whole good guy pretending to be a bad guy thing” attached.      

“Great…” -Marinette sighed. She was really looking forward to that field trip. She loved Versailles, but she especially loved the palace’s gardens. They were some of the most beautiful gardens in the world, and it was also one of the few places outside Paris, where she felt her artistic vein flowing like crazy. Every time she visited them, she had great ideas for designs of just about every kind of clothes there are. And now, it seemed that she would not be visiting them anytime soon, only to spend her day listening to what her least favourite teacher had to say in a science exhibit. –“I’m starting to think that I shouldn’t have gotten out of the bed this morning.”

“Let’s not think about that right now. Let’s just focus and hope that the exam goes alright.” -Alya told her with a tender voice, trying to rise her spirits. 

“ _Maybe for you… but I’m sure I’m going to get a F on it._ ” -Marinette sighed to herself, as she and Alya made their way to the classroom.  

And just like she told herself, when Miss Bustier placed the exam in front of her, Marinette’s brain shutdown. She tried her best to remember what she had studied the night before, but it was no use. Her mind felt like it was blank, and the more she re-read all the questions in the sheet, the less she knew what to write in it. And she was not the only one who was having this kind of trouble. Chloé and Kim were also having trouble answering the questions in the exam, though there was difference between them. Kim had studied and was nervous, Chloé on the other hand did not study. She had completely forgotten about that exam- It was only when Sabrina asked her if she had studied for it that she remembered. The blonde told her that she had studied, just so she would not worry about it.

“ _Why did I forget to put this on my notebook?!_ ” -Chloé asked herself. She usually wrote every last appointment or important event in her notebook, but on this occasion, she forgot to add that exam. –“ _Don’t panic, Chloé, don’t panic. This exam can’t be that hard. You can do this._ ” -she told herself, trying to calm her nerves. But, as she read the question once again, she told herself that there was no way she was going to pass. –“ _I’m so screwed…_ ”

“ _I knew I should have brought Imp with me! He’s good with memorizing things… I could have made him read the whole book, and he just had to dictate all of the answers to my ear…_ ” -Kim thought to himself. The whole class had decided that on days that they had exams, they would leave their kwamis home. Though they had agreed on that, the idea came from the kwamis themselves, who felt that just because they were good at memorizing stuff, the kids should not take advantage of that ability, saying that it would not be right for them, who would end up not learning in the end. _–“… Still, he would never break that stupid rule. Why did I had to end up with a kwami who doesn’t like to break the rules?!_ ” -he cursed his luck, while trying to answer one of the questions.

Still, not everyone was having problems with the exam. Max, Juleka and Sabrina were thinking that it was quite easy, as they wrote the answers. The rest of the class, though having a bit of trouble with one or two questions, managed to do the exam without major problems.

Seconds went by, turning into minutes, which turned into an hour and a half. When it was time to finally hand out the exam, Chloé, Kim and Marinette were the last ones to place it on Miss Bustier’s desk. As they handed their exams to their teacher, they felt like they were handing their death sentence, especially Chloé, who was sure she was going to get a F- on it.

Exiting the classroom, Marinette sighed in anger. The exam had gone horribly ans she did not know who to blame for it, if her, if her bad luck, or if Manon. Though, the more she thought about it, she blamed little Manon for it all. If it was not for her, she would have been able to study in peace all afternoon, instead after dinner, when she felt incredibly tired. And if that had not happened, she would not have had the two little accidents that made her hurt her shoulder and her little toe that morning, and so forth. She knew it was stupid to think that, but her hatred for having failed the exam was too great for her to ignore it. She would eventually see that that was rather stupid and blame fate for it, but right then, that was not going to happen.    

Angry as she was, she passed by Alix who was telling Kim and Max that she had just received an email from the producers of the Lucas Puig competition, telling her that the video she and Kim had done got 4th place, without saying a word, or even paying attention to her. If she had, she would have heard her saying that the only thing they were going to get was a lousy t-shirt as a consolation prize.

“I mean, come on! We did some crazy stunts on that video! That video was first prize material!” -Alix exclaimed, furious.

“Hey, don’t tell that to me. Tell the idiots who judged the videos. I did the video with you, remember?” -Kim answered her back. Right then, he just wanted to forget about the exam they just took, but that did not mean he was going to start arguing with Alix. –“And I’m with  you, we should have won that first prize!”

“Exactly!” -Alix exclaimed.

“Well, I guess you’ll just have to do better next time.” -Max said, as he pulled out his Nintendo DS and began to play.

“Oh, trust me! Next time, we’re going to do some moves so wicked that they’ll even ask themselves how in the world could we have pulled that out!” -Alix told him. You could tell by the determination in her voice, that she was willing to do anything to win next time.   

But that did not matter to Marinette, who passed by them without even hearing what they were saying. And the same thing happened, when she passed by Alya, who sensed something was not right with the blue-haired girl.  

“Hey, Marinette! Where are you going, girl?” -Alya asked her, as Marinette passed by her.

“I’m going to the garden. I need to be alone with my thoughts for a while.” -Marinette told her, with an almost monochromatic voice.

“O-Okay, but don’t forget. You’ve got to be back in time for the next class.” -Alya warned her. She could tell something was definitely not right with Marinette. She wanted to go and ask her what was the matter, but something told her that right then, she herself was not the person she needed to talk to.

To those who were listening, they would think that Marinette was heading outside to take a walk on the garden, now that the rain had stopped. But the truth was, she was going to teleport herself to the Garden of the Ancients. It was the perfect place to be right then, because she knew she was not going to calm herself in just the fifteen minutes of recess that were left. And given that time in the Garden went by a lot slower, while she was there she would manage to calm down somehow. She needed to be alone, if not to curse and swear all she wanted, to calm her nerves, at least to be alone for a moment, where she knew nothing bad could happen to her. And if Master Fu happened to be there, she might have a talk with him and ask him for some advice on how to calm down. Finding a quiet spot, where no one could see her, she teleported herself to the Garden of the Ancients.      

* * *

Stressed out as she was, Marinette did not even appreciate the beautiful landscape around her, as she made her way to the temple. She hoped that Master Fu was there, so he could help her calm down. Crossing the temple’s large wooden door, she immediately saw that the old master was not in the temple’s courtyard. Looking around, she decided to enter in the temple to look for him. The silence that was inside made her relax at first. But after a little while, it began to feel unnerving. She had just checked one of the temple’s many rooms, when she stopped and said:  

“Great! The day that I really need him, and he’s nowhere to be found!”

“Who’s nowhere to be found?” -a voice coming from behind Marinette said, startling her. A very familiar voice. 

“M-Master Fu!” –Marinette said, startled.

“Sorry, did I scare you, Marinette?”

“You scared the daylights out of me!” -Marinette exclaimed, as she took deep breaths, trying to slow down her heart to slow down a little.

“Well, I’m light on my feet.” -Master Fu joked. –“A thousand apologies, my dear. It was not my intention to frighten you.”

“It’s okay, Master Fu.” -Marinette assured him.

“You’re not well. I can tell that.”

“How do you know that?”

“Well, I can see it in your eyes… plus, you wouldn’t come here when you’re in school, if everything was alright.” -Master Fu told her in usual calm and wise voice. –“Tell me, what is it that is bothering you? And, where’s Tikki? Where’s your kwami?”

“Oh, Tikki stayed home today. We had an exam and…”

“I see, I understand.” -Master Fu told her. –“Still, something tells me that that exam is not the only thing that is troubling your spirit.” -he smiled, and before she could answer, he said: -“But, before you tell me everything, we need something. We need tea.”

“Tea?” -Marinette asked, puzzled.

“Of course, Marinette. There’s nothing a good cup of tea can’t fix.” -Master Fu told her, always smiling. –“Well, that’s not entirely true, but it will always help one to calm down.” -he joked. –“Follow me, please. I think I’ve got just the right tea for you.”

* * *

Just like he told Marinette, in his infinite wisdom, a cup of tea was just what she needed for her nerves to start calming down. And to do that, he served her a cup of delicious Oolong tea, which began to do marvels for her, as soon as she sipped it. The old master gave Marinette time to enjoy her drink, and allowed her to start talking. By his own experience, a person should not be forced to open itself to others, unless she wants to, because if forced, the answers you might get, may not be the truthful ones, and instead, a twisted version of the truth.

“I really needed this…” -Marinette said, as she gently placed her cup on the table.

“I’m glad to hear that.” -Master Fu smiled at the girl, as he too placed his cup on the table.

“I’m not joking, master, I really needed this.” -she smiled at the old master. –“I’m having one of the worst mornings of my whole life…” -she said. –“I guess, you’ll be wanting to know what’s really going on, isn’t it?”

“Only if you want to, Marinette.” -Master Fu declared. –“Only if you want.”

Sighing, she began to tell him just what had happened to her, and what she believed was the cause to all of her misfortune. Master Fu heard her, without making any kind of judgement

“And, do really you believe that that little girl is the cause for everything that happened to you?”

“No…” -Marinette sighed.

“Then, why do you blame her?”

“I blame her… I blame her… I don’t even know why I blame her, master.”

“I know why.” -Master Fu asserted. –“Because it’s easier for a person to blame others for their mistakes.” -he told her, with a sympathizing voice.

“So, I’m the one to blame for what happened to me?”

“I didn’t say that, Marinette. You did.” -Master Fu declared. –“Although, in this case, I think that what happened to you is just a simple case of bad luck. We all have them. Yours was just

The words from Master Fu resonated in her head, making her realize that though she wanted to, she could not blame Manon for her bad luck streak. Still, something inside her, kept insisting on the fact that Manon had some influence on what had happened to her, and seeing this, the old master decided to convince her of the opposite, by using what he liked to call “Existential psychology”.

“Tell me, why do you think Manon is like that?” -Master Fu asked her.

“Like what?”

“Like the way you have described her, of course. Always restless, always excited… in sum, a very lively girl.” -the old man said.

“I… I don’t know.” -Marinette answered truthfully. She had never wondered why Manon acted the way she did. She just assumed she was like that, without a reason.

“From what you have told me, she likes you a lot. In fact, she tends to see you as an older sister.” -Master Fu told her.

“Yes… I mean, she has sometimes called me her big sister, when we play together.” -Marinette admitted, as she grabbed her cup and sipped from it.

“Exactly. And does that mean? It means that seeks attention, because at home, her parents might not give her enough. The little girl craves attention, and you’re the only one who seems to give her enough attention, by playing with her and listening to what she says. “ -Master Fu told her. –“And you know what? That is a good thing, because it means that she also respects you… though, of course, being younger than you, she sometimes thinks that everything has to be the way she wants to.” -he went on. –“And that, is a problem that can easily be solved.”

“How?”

“You need to treat her the same way you treat everyone your age, with the same kind of respect. It is a common mistake for older people treating younger people like they know everything there is in the world, and thinking the younger don’t have the slightest idea how the world works. A very common mistake, indeed. Even I, when I was younger did it, so I speak from experience.” -Master Fu declared. –“And that, is something that you must not do, when you deal with little Manon. By treating her as your equal, she will feel like you’re not her superior, and, she will do what you tell her to do, without big problems.”

“That sound like a plan… but will it work, master?” -Marinette asked him. She had heard of such techniques to help people deal with children, but had never thought of using them on Manon.

“I do believe it will. But you, Marinette, you need to believe that it will work, in order to work.” -Master Fu told her. –“And above all, remember, patience is the key to everything in life. If you are patient with Manon, everything will work out, eventually.” -he smiled.   


	10. An Autumn Afternoon

Thanking Master Fu for the tea and for the advice, Marinette decided to head back to school. With a new perspective, she was going to make sure that she would never again blame Manon for anything bad that would happen to her, no matter how much she wanted. Sighing, she used the power to teleport herself back to school, appearing behind a bush that was in the school's garden. Heading inside, she checked her watch to see how much time had passed since she teleported herself to the Garden. To her surprise, only a minute had gone by. The time she spent talking to Master Fu felt so long, that she thought that once she came back, she would only have a minute or two to go back to the classroom. She had just entered the school's courtyard, when out of the blue, someone appeared in front of her. She tried to stop, but it was no use; there was a small collision, and the person who had appeared out of nowhere ended up on the floor, while Marinette managed to stay on her feet Looking down, she saw that the person who had bumped into her was none other than Adrien, who was now on the floor.

"Oh, my gosh! Adrien!" -Marinette exclaimed, seeing the blond on the floor. –"Are you alright?"

"I'm okay. Cats always land on their feet." –Adrien said, as she helped him get up.

"Maybe, but I think this time you didn't land on your feet, kitty-cat." -she joked, when suddenly, she realized what she had told Adrien. She was talking to him, just like when they were both in their Ladybug and Chat Noir outfits. –"Oops, I mean… sorry, about that. -" -she apologized. –" _I better be careful with what I say to Adrien at school. If people hear us talk like this, they might make the connection between us and the Miraculous Team._ "

"It's okay, it happens. I should've watched where I was going too." -Adrien apologized himself.

"Still, sorry about it." -Marinette blushed lightly. –" _He looks so handsome today. Don't know why, but he does._ " -she thought to herself.

"Like I said, it's okay." -Adrien told her. –" _How can she look so beautiful, even after what happened to her this morning?… She looked like a wet dog, when I looked out the classroom and saw how she arrived at school, and now look at her. She must have another magical ability that we don't know about… That's the only possible explanation._ " -he thought to himself, without realizing he had been staring at the blue-haired girl for a couple of seconds, without uttering a single word. –"Uh… so, how did the exam go for you?"

"Lousy… I'm going to have to ask Miss Bustier to do an extra-curricular work to get a better grade in Biology." -Marinette confessed to him. –"What about you? How did it go?"

"It could've been better. The last question was really tricky… like the ones Miss Mendeleiev likes to give us in our Chemistry exams, you know?" -Adrien answered her. –"But the rest, were pretty easy."

"I bet… they would have been easy for me too, if I hadn't been so tired to study." -Marinette said with her head down.

"It was that bad, huh?" -Adrien asked her.

"It was." -she waved her head.

Their conversation was cut short, when Alya and Nino showed up together from the middle of the crowd that assembled around them in the courtyard.

"Do you mind if I borrow Marinette for a little while, Adrien?" -Alya asked him, interrupting the conversation.

"Uh, sure." -Adrien answered her.

"Come on, girl. There's something I need to ask you." -Alya said, as she dragged Marinette by the wrist, into the middle of the crowd.

"Guess she left you hanging, bro." -Nino joked.

"Looks like it." -Adrien admitted. –"If Plagg was here, he would probably be telling a joke about this."

"You want me to tell you a joke instead of him, then?" -Nino joked with him.

"No, thanks." -Adrien said.

"Okay, okay. Now, seriously, she likes you, bro." -Nino told him.

"Yeah, that I know, Nino." -Adrien smiled, as he blushed a little.

"If so, then, why don't you tell her?"

"Not just yet. I'm an old-fashioned guy. I want to get to know Marinette better, before I tell her that I like her." -Adrien told him. –"Besides, I'm a little bit shy, and you know it."

"For a guy who's used to walk on a runway and getting his face on every billboard and kiosk in the city, being shy would be the last thing a person would think about you." -Nino joked about it. –"You should be more impulsive, like your feline persona, or me, for example."

"You?!" -Adrien laughed. –"And why is that?"

"Because I asked Alya to be girlfriend on out very first date." -Nino said deadpanned.

"Yeah, and from what I know, she told you no." -Adrien laughed. –"In fact, you asked her so many times, that I think she only said yes, because she was tired of hearing you ask the same question, over and over." -he joked.

"Nah, she's just making hard to get, that's all." -Nino laughed. –"But that's not the point, bro. The point is, sometimes you need to dive right in, without caring about the risks." -he told him. –"Trust me, it's worth it."

If there was one thing that was true about Nino, was that his advices were most of the times right. And while he kept giving advices to Adrien, Alya had dragged Marinette out of there, thinking she needed help. It was only when they finished climbing the stairs to the first floor that Alya finally stopped, and Marinette could ask her what was going on.

"Why did you do that for?" -Marinette asked her friend.

"Sorry, but the way you ignored everyone in your path when you came out of the exam, and then say that you were going to the Garden, and a couple of seconds later, you're in front of Adrien… well, I thought you might need some help." -Alya admitted. She really thought Marinette was in trouble.

"Actually, I already went to the Garden of the Ancients and came back, and for your information, I'm not stressed or anything else, anymore. Plus, I was having a conversation, a very good conversation with Adrien." -Marinette smiled.

"What?! Really?! You, Marinette Dupain-Cheng were talking to Adrien Agreste, without stuttering and without making funny faces?!" -Alya exclaimed, slightly shocked by the reveal. –"Who are you, and what did you do with my best-friend?" -she asked her, joking..

"I know, I'm as surprised as you are." -Marinette declared. –"I only do talk with him like that when we're both being our other selves, if you know what I mean?" -she said.

"I'm starting to think that you are getting better at controlling your feelings for Adrien." -Alya told her, always with a big smile on her face. –"That first date of yours must have done wonders for your relationship."

"If you're saying that just so I tell you what happened in that first date, forget it. I wasn't born yesterday, you know?" -Marinette playfully raised her an eyebrow. –"Great, now I'm talking like your kwami." -she admitted.

"Well, you can't blame a girl for trying." -Alya admitted, chuckling lightly. –"But tell me, what did you do in the Garden of the Ancients that made you so relieved?"

"Oh, I talked to Master Fu, and…"

Marinette told Alya what she told Master Fu, as well as the advices he had given her. She knew that her friend had been stressed, but she never imagined that she blamed Manon for what happened, even if her heart told her not to. Still, she was relieved to know that Master Fu had advised her to take it easy and find other ways to deal with all the stress she had accumulated in her system. Marinette also told her about what he had told her to deal with Manon.

"Whoa, girl, you really needed to chill." -Alya told her, and Marinette waved her head. –"So, what are you going to do about Manon? I know you are going to follow Master Fu's advice and all, but how exactly, are you going to do it?"

"Oh well, I've got a couple of ideas." -Marinette said. –"And you are going to help me with it." -she told Alya, surprising her.

"Me?! How?"

"Oh, you'll see…" -Marinette said, with a wicked smile on her face, which made Alya fear the worst.

* * *

The following day, having the day off, Marinette set in motion her plan to treat Manon the same way she did someone her own age. took advantage of Manon. Taking advantage of only having classes until midday, she decided to take Manon to a carnival that had just opened near the Place de la Bastille. Alya, who had nothing to do that afternoon joined them. She had taken Master Fu's advice in consideration, and decided to treat Manon as if she and her had the same age. And to do that, she was going to let her decide what they were going to do on that afternoon. And there were so many things to do in that carnival. From the usual merry-go-round and the giant Ferris-wheel to the countless food stands, and the game booths where you could try and win all kinds of prizes, the hard part was to decide what do first.

Though it was a week day, there were a lot of people in that carnival. Most of them were tourists that were passing by, but you could see many locals too. The music coming out of the speakers that were strategically placed around the place echoed and gave the whole carnival an even livelier and more colourful feeling. The girls recognized the music as being the one that was played on the circus, whenever the clowns showed up.

And coincidentally, there was a circus on the farer side of the carnival. The big top was red and yellow, shaking lightly because of the wind. Their biggest attraction were the clowns. When she saw the poster announcing the show, Manon immediately asked Marinette and Alya if they could go see the show.

"Can we, please?" -Manon asked the two of them.

"Well, I don't see why not." -Alya said. –"What do you think, Marinette?"

"Well, I think that since Manon is the one who decides on what we're going to do today, then, if she wants to go to the circus, then will go to the circus." -Marinette answered. -"Unless, of course, you want to go to the movies instead." -she asked Manon, always smiling.

"No, I want to go to the circus!" -Manon exclaimed.

"Okay, then the circus it is." -Marinette declared, as she looked at the show's schedule, and saw that the next show would be in two hours. –"But, since we have time before the show starts, let's do something else. Where do you want to go?"

"I want some cotton candy! And some ice cream and popcorn, and funnel cakes, and hot dogs, and …" -Manon kept exclaiming, saying just about every kind of carny food there was around.

" _There's the Manon I know…_ " -she sighed to herself. –"Okay, okay, Manon, one thing at the time, okay? Let's get some cotton candy first, and after we finish it, we'll decide what to try next. And then, let's see what else we can do around here, okay?"

"Alright." -she waved her head.

"Let's get you the biggest cotton candy in the stand, what do you say?" -Alya asked her.

"Yes!" -Manon exclaimed, as she started running towards the cotton candy booth, where an old lady was spinning a very large one. Watching it being made was almost hypnotic, because it was fascinating to see just how simple sugar was turned into those pink sugary strings. The girls' kwamis, who were listening to the girl's shouts of joy, told both Alya and Marinette that they also wanted cotton candy.

"It's going to be great to taste cotton candy again." -Tikki said.

"It's been too long since I tasted it too." -Trixx admitted.

"How's that possible? Cotton candy was only invented in the end of 19th century. You guys have been asleep for far longer than that." -Marinette said.

"It may have been invented to be sold on mass production, but believe me when I say there was already cotton candy in Italy in the early 15th century." -Trixx said. –"And the two of us happened to know a confectioner who did the best cotton candy we ever tasted." -she declared.

"Indeed. He was the father of two of our previous holders, Paola and Anna Bellafiore." -Tikki said. –"Oh, I really miss those days, when they offered us that delicious treat, after one of our battles." -she sighed, remembering it.

"Thank God we don't get fat, otherwise, after spending years eating that, we would have gained several pounds." -Trixx joked, as she too remembered about it.

"Really? Well, you two are going to fill us in about that story later. Because now, we're going to get some cotton candy." -Alya said, as they arrived at the cotton candy stand, where Manon kept jumping out of joy, as she watched the cotton candy being made.

* * *

On such a beautiful Autumn day, Rose wanted to be outside, enjoying that afternoon that felt more like a summer afternoon with its gentle warm breeze. But, that was not going to happen. The blonde had ballet practice and she needed to focus on what she was doing. Unfortunately, her head was somewhere else, instead of practice. Her head was way up in the clouds, thinking about a certain Goth girl with black and purple hair, who happened to be her best friend. Yes, once more, she was thinking about Juleka. She had told herself, that it was best for them to just remain friends. But the more she said those words to herself, the more she felt they were pure rubbish.

"Miss Lavillant! Miss Lavillant! Miss Lavillant! Are you hearing me?!" -her teacher

The voice brought her back to reality, and the voice belonged to none other than her ballet teacher, Katherina Duskin. Miss Duskin was known for being the harshest teacher in that ballet school. She had won an Olympic Gold medal when she was younger, and because of it, she had made her mission to uphold the values which made her win that medal. And to do that, she was ruthless in every way. She would not allow anyone in her class to take things lightly, and Rose was about to find out just how.

"Oh, I'm sorry… my mind was somewhere else." -the blonde apologized herself.

"Well, then you better stop thinking about what you were thinking, and focus on what you should be doing in class, Miss Lavillant." -Miss Duskin told her with a cold and emotionless voice. -"Now, everyone, once again, plié!"

Miss Duskin used a cane to mark the rhythm. She kept saying that a ballerina should be able to dance just by feeling the beat with her body. Every time she tapped the cane on the polished wooden floor, she expected every one of her students to perform the move she wanted them to perform, without any kind of mistakes.

Everything was going smoothly, as Miss Duskin started the music, while marking the rhythm with her cane. But, once more, Rose did not do what she was supposed to. Missing a step, she almost knocked one of her colleagues into the ground. This, earned her a reprimand from Miss Duskin, who was beginning to be fed up with her mistakes. Looking at Rose, the blonde could tell that she was furious.

"Miss Lavillant… I don't know what's going on with you today, but I suggest that you either get your head on the game, or you can leave earlier! We're not here to play, and I'm sure you know that. Now, focus, or otherwise, leave!" -she scolded her.

Duskin's harsh words felt like knives carving into her body. Still, no matter how harsh they were, they were not harsher than the fact that she could not take Juleka out of her mind. The more she tried to ignore the fact, the harder it was for her to focus on anything else, right then. The way she was feeling right then, the only thing she wanted was to hit the showers, change her clothes and go somewhere where she could be alone with her thoughts. But, deep inside of her, something stopped her from doing that. She did not know what it was, if it was her stubbornness or her pride as a ballet dancer, but she was not going to let that horrible woman's words get to her, no matter how much of an emotional wreck she was then.

"Yes, Miss Duskin." -she said, as she placed herself in position. –" _I'm not going to let you get me down… Juleka wouldn't want me to do that._ " -she thought to herself, once again thinking of the Goth girl. Still, this time, she was going to use the rage she was feeling for not having told her the truth, to fuel her concentration and show her teacher that she was not there to play around.

* * *

Juleka herself was having the same kind of problem as Rose. But unlike her, who was getting a lecture from her ballet teacher, Juleka was hearing her mother trying to impinge some clothes to her. When her mother, Edith, told her that she was going shopping and wanted her opinion, Juleka should have told her that she already had plans for the afternoon, because that speech, was nothing more than a trick to get her to go to buy clothes she was not going to wear, because they were not her style.

"Juleka, honey, you should really try this one. It's so beautiful." -Edith told her, as she showed her a beautiful green and black sweater with a small round neckline. –"Juleka? Juleka?! Are you even listening to what I'm saying to you?"

"Uh, what?" -she asked.

"Juleka… this sweater, you should try it." -Edith insisted.

"Mom, that's not my style." -Juleka told her. The Goth was the exact opposite of her mother in just about everything. A person who did not know them, would never say they were mother and daughter. Juleka was more like her father, because they had the same tastes. Even physically, they shared the same black hair and height. The only thing she and her mother shared were the eyes, which were the same eye colour. Apart from it, they were as different as the day is from the night. –"Besides, I thought we came here to check out some clothes for you, not me."

"Oh, and we did. But there's no harm in checking something for you." -her mother insisted on the matter. More and more, Juleka felt that they were there to check out clothes for her and not for Edith. –"Besides, you've got to stop wearing so much black in your clothes."

"Mom! There's nothing wrong with my clothes. Just because most of them are black, that doesn't mean they are all the same."

"I'm not saying that. It's just that, wearing black clothes all the time, makes it look like you're always sad and depressed." -she told Juleka.

No matter how many times she told her mother, she just would not understand that just because she wore black all the time, it did not mean she was sad or depressed. It was just her favourite colour, along with purple and magenta. She felt safe wearing those colours.

"If you just wore something more colourful from time to time…"

But she had lost her. Juleka had bigger problems to worry about than what her mom thought about the colours of her clothes. Plus, the awful pop music that was on the store's speakers was bad enough to make her wish she could just disappear. In her mind, she kept telling herself that she had the right thing by not telling Rose what her feelings for her really were. She kept replaying the whole chat they had on the Internet, remembering all the chances she had of telling her what she really felt, only to ignore those feelings, for the sake of their friendship. As these thoughts kept bouncing in her mind, Juleka's mom showed up with another piece of clothes for her to try on.

"And what about these jeans, honey?" -she asked the Goth girl, as she showed her a pair of baby-blue jeans with a white belt. Seeing them, Juleka immediately said no to them. –"But honey, these would look beautiful on you."

"Mom, please, I told you, I don't like that colour. I would rather use a burlap sack, than those." -Juleka declared brusquely.

Hearing her say that, Juleka's mom felt slightly offended by those words. But, she did not say anything. She was in too good of a humour to let one of her daughter's commentaries ruin what had been a good afternoon.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic, honey." -Edith told her daughter. –"Well, if you see anything that you like, let me know. I'm going to go and check those dresses over there for me." -she said, while walking towards the dresses.

"That woman is driving me crazy…" -Juleka thought to herself. From the face she was making, Tamara knew that she needed to calm herself down. Quickly exiting from Juleka's pocket and landing behind the girl's left ear, and then sliding down to her shoulder, always hidden by the girl's long hair, she said:

"You need to calm yourself down a little."

"You say that as if it was easy. You know how my mom is." -Juleka whispered at her.

"Yes, I do, and I understand that she's making you go insane, but, let her buy you something." -Tamara whispered back at her.

"But I don't like any of the clothes in this store, Tamara. They're not my style." -Juleka told her. Just from looking at the bright colours on most of the clothes, Juleka felt sick, like she had something bad for lunch.

"I know that. But, it would make your mom really happy." -the raven kwami told her. –"You wouldn't have to wear it every day. Just occasionally, and she would probably not complain so much about you always wearing the same colour." -she advised her.

The truth was, once more Tamara was right. Just because she did not like it, it did not mean she should hurt her mother's feelings. Though she valued her pride, she tried her best to never put it in front of what really mattered. Smiling towards her kwami, no words were needed to tell her that she was absolutely right, as always. Looking around for something that was her style, but at the same time was not, Juleka found a black and orange jacket that did not look half bad. Trying it, she went to her mom and told her that she wanted that jacket.

"Oh, it's nice. It's different from what you usually wear." -she told Juleka. –"See? There're more colours in life than just black, sweetie."

That comment, even if not meant to, upset Juleka. This made her think about how Rose never said anything bad about how she dressed or the colours she liked. It always led her to the same conclusion… she had made the biggest mistake in her life, when she did not tell the truth to Rose, and that was killing her from the inside.

* * *

Marinette and Alya had bought the three biggest cotton candies there were, and then went to check out the rest of the carnival. Every time Manon saw something she liked, she would beg them to either try it or for them to buy it for her. Though trying to keep the promise she had made to herself, Marinette had to say no quite a few times to little Manon, who tried her baby doll eyes trick on her, to make her do what she wanted. Still, the trick did not work, because Alya was present, and like always, the brunette proved to be the best, by having an alternative for when she did that.

"Now, Manon, if we buy you that, then later, we won't be able to buy you popcorn at the circus. And you do want to eat popcorn while watching the acrobats performing tricks, and the lions and tigers jumping through a ring fire, don't you?" -Alya asked her with a gentle voice.

"Yes, I do."

"Then, what are we going to do?" -Alya asked her.

"We're going to save the money for the popcorn." -Manon answered her.

"Good, very good." -Alya said. –"You know what? I think that you deserve a little treat for understanding that we can't buy everything." -she told her. –"I'm going to buy you a candy apple. You want one?"

"Yes!"

"Yes, what, Manon?" -Marinette asked her.

"Yes, please." -Manon answered politely.

"That's better." -Marinette smiled.

"You want one too? My treat." -Alya asked Marinette.

"Well, if you're buying it, sure. But after eating all of this, I'll have to find a way to burn all those calories." -Marinette declared.

"You'll figure a way." -Alya joked about it.

The candy apples looked absolutely delicious. The glistening red caramel covering them made them look like they were a kind of exotic fruit, only destined to the most privileged of all. The more she looked at them, the more she wished her stomach could take more than just one, without getting a stomach ache. Paying the old lady that owned the booth, she then gave one to Manon, and then another to Marinette, who took a bite at it, savouring the sweet and sour treat. Waiting for Manon to look away, she then allowed Tikki to also take a small bite at the candy apple, and Alya did the same with Trixx. The scarlet kwami almost got her mouth glue to the caramel, and Marinette released her, just before Manon turned around. Another second, and she would have seen Tikki.

"So, how's the candy apple, Manon?"

"It's very good." -Manon said, as she took another bite at it. –"But, it's a little hard to eat it."

"Try and give small bites." -Marinette told her.

"Marinette's right, you know? If you take a big bite, you might get your teeth stuck in the caramel, and you don't want those pretty little white teeth of yours stuck on it, now do you?" -Alya told her playfully, as the resumed walking.

"No." -Manon giggled.

Walking around, they passed by several other booths, until reaching the part of the carnival where the carnival games were located. To their right was the Skeeball booth, while to their left was Whac-a-Mole, the Shooting Gallery, and the bucket and Ball Toss booth, among others. There were people in front of them all, trying to win all kinds of prizes, from stuffed animals to footballs. And in one of them, the High Striker, were two people the girls knew well, their friends, Ivan and Mylene, where Ivan was trying to win a prize for Mylene.

"Well, hello there, what are you guys doing here?" -Alya asked them, as the three of them approached them.

"What do you think? We're on a date." -Ivan answered her, as he grabbed the hammer and got ready to win a stuffed teddy bear for Mylene. –"And right now, I'm going to win me a teddy bear."

"Remember, you've got two tries." -the owner of the booth said.

Swinging the hammer in the air, he slammed the padding, making the puck go up the tower. It looked like the puck was going to hit the bell, but when it reached half the way, it started to slow down, until it stopped, coming back down. Seeing that, Ivan knew that the machine had to be rigged. He had used all his regular strength to hit the paddle, and that strength was usually enough to break a door open.

"Too bad, my boy." -the man told him. –"But, let's see if you're luckier this time." -he smirked, convinced that Ivan would not be able to do it.

"Alright, let's see then." -Ivan smirked. –" _Get ready to see that puck and that bell go on a one-way trip to the Moon, buster._ " -he thought to himself.

This time, he was going to make use of his hidden strength, the same strength he displayed when he was Grizzly Bear. Though he could not make full use of it all when he was in his civilian form, he knew that it would still be enough to beat that rigged high striker. Taking another swing at the hammer, this time, when it landed on the padding, it felt like the earth shook for a mere moment, as the puck shot straight up, hitting the bell. The strength with which it hit was so much, that they all thought the bell was going to crack. The operator's jaw dropped, as he did not expect Ivan to win.

"You were right, I got luckier on the second turn." -Ivan smirked, as the man tried to understand how he had done it. –"And now, I think you owe this pretty lady here a teddy bear." -he said.

Still baffled by what happened, the man grabbed a huge teddy bear he had on the back of the booth, and gave it to Mylene. The stuffed animal looked a little like it had been on display for a little while now, but even so, it still looked brand-new. Looking at it, Mylene fell in love with it, because it reminded her of Ivan. Smiling, she gave him a big hug, as Manon said:

"You're really strong." -Manon told him.

"He eats his vegetables. That's why he's so strong." -Alya smiled. –" _That, and a certain miraculous also gives him a boost of strength._ " -she thought to herself.

"Thanks." -Ivan thanked her.

"We're going to see the circus later." -Manon said innocently.

"So are we." -Mylene told her. –"I just love the circus."

"Why am I not surprised?" -Alya chuckled.

"Well, when your dad's a performing actor and pretty much, everyone in the family is an artist in some way, it tends to rub on you too." -Mylene admitted. –"Plus, I'm a big fan of the jugglers and the fire eaters." -she declared.

"I like them too, but I'm a bigger fan of the lion and tiger tamers. They're so brave to be in the same cage as those animals." -Marinette said. Ever since she was a little girl, she loved to see the lions and tigers go through a ring of fire and perform other tricks, under the guidance of their tamer."

The conversation went on for a few more minutes, when Manon asked Marinette and Alya if she could go on the Ferris-wheel. The two of them told her that they could go, after they had finished talking with Ivan and Mylene. But, Manon was not going to give them the chance to do it. She kept insisting on the matter, that the girls decided to grant her, her wish, leaving both Mylene and Ivan to enjoy the rest of their date alone. As they headed to the Ferris-wheel, they waved the two love birds goodbye, telling them they would see them later.

"You know, you shouldn't have used your powers to get me this teddy, Ivan." –Mylene told him. She had noticed he had used them.

"I had to. That thing was rigged." -Ivan told her.

"Yeah, and rigging a machine, that's lower than a Beagle's belly!" -Muria exclaimed, from Ivan's pocket.

"I agree with him. Dishonesty is the worse policy there can be." -Pin agreed, as he showed up from inside Mylene's purse.

"Besides, you deserve it." -Ivan said, making Mylene giggle. Though they were not dating or anything she liked when he said those things to her. It made her feel special and good about herself.

"Alright, alright, I admit it, I would have ended up really sad if you hadn't win it for me. But now, you've got to let me win something for you." -Mylene said, insisting.

"Oh, you don't have to. Besides, us guys are the ones who are supposed to offer presents to girls." -Ivan told her.

"Oh, yeah? Well, then this girl here is going to prove you otherwise." -Mylene declared, as she looked around to see which booth she was going to try her luck. As her eyes checked every booth, she saw something she felt would be easy to win, ring toss. –"And I found just the game to do it."

Approaching the booth, a young woman incited them to try their luck. Smirking, Mylene told her that she was going to win something nice for Ivan. The woman, who was used to hearing that from just about everyone, ignored the commentary and went to explaining the rules to her. Once that was done, she gave her the rings, telling her that she had one go and in order to win a prize, she had to at least get one ring around a bottle. The more rings around one of the bottles, the bigger the prize was. Handing the teddy bear to Ivan, Mylene focused.

At that distance, the regular person would be lucky to get one of the rings around a bottle, unless of course, they had a terrific aim. Luckily, not only she had heightened eyesight, she also had an incredible aim due to her abilities as Forest Doe. Squinting her eyes, she threw the first ring and just like that, she placed it around a bottle. One by one, she threw them all, without missing a single target. The woman responsible for the booth was speechless as she daw Mylene doing that.

"There, easy peasy lemon squeezy." -Mylene giggled, while looking at Ivan, who smiled back at her. –"Well, what did I win?"

To her surprise, she won a huge stuffed white bunny rabbit with a beautiful blue ribbon on its head. Smiling, she gave it to Ivan, and said:

"There. Now, we're even. Give my teddy back." -Mylene smiled.

"You really are something else, Mylene." -Ivan admitted, as the two walked away from there.

"Oh, I bet you always say that to every cute girl you meet." -Mylene smiled, blushing a little.

"As far as I know, you're the cutest girl I know." -Ivan said, as he gently placed his arm around her shoulders, making her giggle lightly.

It seemed like that was going to be a perfect afternoon for the two of them, as well as the rest of the people that were around there. Little did they know, that trouble was on its way, and it had Hawk Moth written all over it.

* * *


	11. Trouble in the Carnival

The driver had just honked for the third time, and it seemed like the garbage truck in front of him was not moving. Frustrated with what was happening, he opened the window and yelled at the garbage man to move, stating he was in a hurry, as well as the rest of the people in the cars behind him. But what they did not know, was that the garbage man himself was even more frustrated than everyone who was there.

Albert Fabron was frustrated in the worst possible way. With 42 years old, he was no ordinary garbage man. No, Albert was an educated man, who attended college and graduated as top of his class. He had had a good job as a marketing advisor for one of the most important business companies in Europe, and pretty much every benefit that came with it. Unfortunately, over the last couple of years, his luck had changed for the worse. After the company, he worked for filed for bankruptcy, over some financial scandal, his name and the names of every other person who worked for it ended up on a list of people who were to be considered as "toxic", a blacklist. This made it hard for him to get a job in another company. Ever since then, he hopped from job to job, never staying in the same place for more than a couple of months. Now, he was a garbage man. For him, this was the ultimate humiliation. He, who had once a job at a desk, after spending numerous years studying, reduced to a miserable smelly garbage man, spending his time going through everyone's trash. He had started at that job a few days prior, and though he tried to remain optimistic, every shred of hope he had that his luck would eventually change had disappeared a few minutes before.

He was on his way to pick up one of his colleagues before their shift started, when the truck stopped working, just as he turned right from Boulevard Henry IV, into one of the side streets. The engine died right there, blocking the street and the transit. He called the office to report what happened, and the first thing he hears is his supervisor yelling at him, asking how is it possible for the truck to have died like that, when it was running perfectly. Albert tried to explain himself, but he kept being interrupted by the man, who would not stop shouting at him. Being told to stay put, he did as he was told, waiting for someone to come and pick him, as well as the truck.

Still, he felt that that was not going to happen, because the cars behind him began to honk, demanding to move. Checking it, he had forgotten to turn on the blinkers. He thought that by turning them on, the people would understand that there was a problem and would stop honking. He was already under a lot of stress, and the last thing he needed was more trouble. But, that did not happen. Instead the honking became even louder.

" _This day can't get any worse…_ " -he told himself. There was nothing he could, even if he wanted to. The only who could solve that was a mechanic, and he sure as heck was not one. Resigning himself, he just sat and waited, when he heard someone knocking on the door. Looking out the window, he saw that it was one of the drivers, whose car was behind the truck.

"Get that truck out of the way!" -the man yelled, as Albert opened the window.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but I can't." -Albert said calmly.

"Can't or won't?!" -the man shot at him.

"Excuse me?!"

"You idiots keep doing the same thing over and over!" -the man yelled at him. –"Instead of collecting the trash at night, no, you come in the morning and in the afternoon, causing people like me, who start working in about 30 minutes, to arrive late at work!" -he said, as Albert got out of the truck to confront him.

"Sir, I can totally understand what you're saying, but there's nothing I can do."

"Nothing you can do… where have I heard that before?! Oh, yes, from every idiot who works for city hall!" -the man exclaimed. It was clear that he was not a big fan of anyone who was employed by city hall.

Albert did not know how to answer to those accusations. The man was clearly not on his right mind, to say all those things. Albert tried to calm him down and explain to him once more what was going on, pointing out that it was not his fault, and the man kept accusing him Albert was a pretty calm, down to Earth person, still, a man can only take so much before he breaks, and in Albert's case, when that man insulted him, calling him every name in the book, that was the last straw.

"You know what?! Here! Keep the keys and try to move it yourself, if you think you're smarter than me!" -Albert threw the truck's keys at the man, and just walked away. He was through with all that. He did not care

Walking down the street, a part of him pondered if he had done the right thing, while the rest of him did not really care. His pride had been hurt… and he could only blame it on one thing, his luck, or better yet, his bad luck. For someone who once had everything he ever wanted, seeing himself in that position was bad. Making its way to where the Seine ran, he just wanted to be alone with his thoughts. He wanted to shout out to the world just how bad he was feeling right then. Reaching the Parc Rives de Seine, he was so mad about everything that was going on that he pulled out his cell phone and threw it into the water, while swearing.

"Why is this happening to me?! Why?! What did I do to deserve this?!" -he shouted, not caring if anyone heard him. He just wanted to let all his frustrations off his chest. –"What did I do in past life to deserve this?! I must have killed someone or done something so indescribably bad to be suffering like this!"

The amount of stress in his body and mind had reached a critical point. He did not want to admit, but he himself had reached a breaking point. Cursing everyone and everything that went on in his life felt like the only sane thing to do.

"I'm tired of all this… if only I could change things so everything would go my way." -he said, as he kneeled on the ground, with his head down. He felt miserable, and at the same time angry, angry at himself, angry at his bad luck, angry at the others who seemed like they had all the luck, and that no matter what happened, their luck would never change for the worst.

His words of hatred towards the world were heard by everyone who was passing near that place. And one of those people, happened to be one of Hawk Moth's lieutenants, Reptile, who had gone looking for new targets for his master. Upon hearing what Albert said, the infamous lizard man could not help but to congratulate himself for finding what he had been looking for.

" _This is almost too good to be truth._ " -Reptile thought to himself. –" _This one here might be what Hawk Moth is looking for_." -he mused, as he tried to establish a psychic connection with his master. –"Master... Master Hawk Moth, sir, I found you a new target."

* * *

When Hawk Moth heard his lieutenant's voice in his head, he smiled wickedly. He had found another human, whom he believed would make a good akuma. Using the psychic link between them, he looked through Reptile's eyes and saw the target in question. Just by looking at him, he could almost taste the anger in his heart. This anger was mixed with fear and a little pinch of despair.

"Excellent." -he said. –"This one will make a splendid akuma. Do not let him out of your sight, you hear me?" -he declared, as he broke the psychic link, and made his way to the glass dome where his diabolical Akuma butterflies were. Previously asleep, when they felt their master and creator approaching, they became agitated.

Taking a moment to appreciate the delicateness of the creatures' dark and purple wings, he used his magic to let one of them pass through the glass and land on his right hand. Caressing it with the tips of his fingers, he smiled.

"Go, my beautiful Akuma butterfly. Go and do my bidding." -the villain said, as the evil butterfly flew from his hand and magically went through the walls, crossing the several layers of dirt, gravel and cement, before seeing itself out in the open.

Flapping its wings, the nefarious creature was attracted to the human's heart Reptile had signalled. As it flew, the people who would see it, did not even dare to imagine just how dangerous that creature really was. While flying over a small park, a little dog saw it and ran after her, trying to snatch it in its jaws. But the Akuma butterfly was as deadly, as it was beautiful. Just as the little dog was about to catch it, the dark creature made a noise that could only be heard by animals, which scared the dog away. When he created them, Hawk Moth made sure that his creations would be able to stand for themselves if they were attacked, and that was just what it did.

When it finally reached its destination, it flew downwards, landing on Reptile's shoulder, who was still hiding behind the very same bush, when he contacted Hawk Moth. Seeing the butterfly flapping its wings, he gently grabbed it and said:

"Good, you're here. It's time for you to do some damage so those blasted kids to show up." -Reptile whispered. –"Go, now and akumatize this poor devil." -he ordered the creature.

Obeying it, the Akuma butterfly flew towards Albert, landing on his back. As soon as the creature landed on its back, and its tiny legs touched him, a sudden wave of energy coursed through his body, making his eyes glow purple. He was now fully under Hawk Moth's control.

"Good afternoon, my friend. I'm Hawk Moth and I have a proposition for you." -Hawk Moth talked to him through telepathy. –"If you are willing do me a favour, I'll give you the power to put an end to your current predicament. Would you be interested?"

"Yes, Hawk Moth." -he answered, without hesitation.

"Very well, then. What I want you to do is to cause chaos and mayhem to attract those infernal members of the Miraculous Team. Your mission is to capture them, and then destroy them as well as those infernal miraculouses. Do that, and you will be able to keep the abilities I'm about to grant you."

"I will do as you command, Hawk Moth." -Albert smiled wickedly.

"Then… rise, Leprechaun! Go and exact your revenge!" -Hawk Moth exclaimed.

With those words, Albert's body was fully enveloped by a cloud of black purplish smoke. When this dissipated, he had changed into a completely different being. His brown hair had turned red, and his skin had turned milky-purple. He was now wearing a green jacket over a white and black shirt, a green tie with a purple four-leaf clover, green pants and a pair of black and purple derby shoes. His smile broadened into a terrifying smile worthy of the Joker or Pennywise, the Dancing Clown.

"Oh, frabjous day, oh frabjous day! All these lucky people around, and I didn't get any good luck on my end." -Leprechaun said, with a thick Irish accent. –"It's time for us to change that." -he said, as he looked around, looking for his first victim. –"Oh, there's one."

The victim he chose was a bike courier that was coming down the street. Being in a hurry, he had just passed a red light. He got lucky, because if he had not been fast enough, a car that was coming from the left would have flatten him like a pancake. You could say that luck was on his side that time. But, as soon as Leprechaun saw him, his luck changed for the worse. Snapping his fingers, Leprechaun used his luck manipulation powers to damage the brakes on the courier's bike. When he tried to brake, these did not work. Panicking, he tried to make use of them once again, but these were responding, as a car in front of him stopped. He was merely seconds from hitting the car, his bike being turned into scrap metal, and he, he was about to get a one-way ticket to the hospital. Knowing he was going to hit the car, he yawed to the right, hoping to not hit the car or anything else. He missed the car by a few inches, but when going up the sidewalk, he ended up hitting a street lamp. Falling off his bicycle, he considered himself lucky for only ending up with a few scratches on his arms and knees. But his bike was completely wrecked.

Amazed at his new-found powers, Leprechaun laughed uncontrollably high, realizing what he could do with them.

"Oh, this is amazing! Too bad he didn't get much hurt… but no matter. There are tons of people in this town who have all the luck, and I'm going to make sure that all their luck is transferred to me!" -he kept laughing maniacally, as he began to walk, hopping from place to place, like a jackrabbit.

Reptile, who remained hidden, wondered if akumatizing that man was such a good idea after all. He certainly had the power to cause chaos and mayhem, but he looked more insane than the other akumatized victims he had seen. He wondered if he could be controlled to do his master's bidding. But, those thoughts vanished from his head, when he heard Hawk Moth talking to him.

"Keep an eye on him, Reptile. When those kids show up, be sure to do everything in your power to help him kill them, once and for all." -Hawk Moth told him. –"And remember, if you fail, you'll suffer the price for your incompetence." -he said, with a cold, almost unnatural voice.

Gulping, Reptile knew that Hawk Moth's threats were not to be taken lightly. The lizard man still remembered the last time he had been punished, and he did not wish to go through that again; not if he had something to say about it.

* * *

Back at the fair, Marinette and Alya had taken Manon to ride in the Merry-go-round. The little girl chose a unicorn to ride on, and was having the time of her life. While she rode it, to the sickening sound of Justin Bieber's Baby song, Marinette and Alya sat on a garden bench, from where they could see Manon, talking and enjoying that little break. They enjoyed having Manon around them, but still, it felt good to be just the two of them for a little while.

"Enjoying yourself?"

"More or less, I'd say. Taking care of Manon can be more challenging than fighting an akuma." -Marinette sighed.

"Oh, come on, you don't mean that. Sure, she's full of spunk and all, but she's just a regular kid. We were like that, when we were her age." -Alya declared.

"Speak for yourself. I always behaved myself, and I would usually do what my parents told me, when taking me for a walk." -Marinette smiled.

"That's not what I remember. When I first met you, you were screaming and yelling at your parents, because you wanted a doll you saw on a store and you wanted it right then." -Alya smirked.

"Well, I was cranky that day. I mean, everyone has bad days." -Marinette defended herself.

"Right… let's pretend I believe what you're saying." -Alya said sarcastically, laughing. –"Either way, I think your plan is actually working. Treating Manon like she was the same age as the two of us is paying off." -she said. –"Sure, she still throws a tantrum or two, but, usually she would spend her throwing tantrums and all that."

"Well, I'm just glad that Master Fu's idea is working." -Marinette said. –"Manon is so much easier to babysit like this."

"Even if she wasn't, you would be able to pull it off, Marinette." -Tikki told her, from inside Marinette's purse. –"It's like Manon has told you. You're the best babysitter ever." -she said, making Marinette blush lightly.

"There you go, blushing whenever someone praises you." -Alya chuckled. –"If you were a spy, and you had to pretend you were a cold-calculating person, you would fail the mission, when someone made you blush." -she joked.

"As if you never blush. I've seen you blush plenty of times, whenever Nino calls you sweet names." -Marinette shot at her, between laughs. –"And speaking of sweet names, did you notice how Mylene and Ivan looked today?"

"All love-dovey? Please, you would have to be blind to not see just how much in love they are with one another." -Alya giggled.

"You said it! The only way those two could act more lovey-dovey than that, was if they were dressed like a prince and a princess, dancing the waltz, while

The way Trixx talked about Ivan and Mylene made the girls laugh a little. It was a funny thought, especially because it was hard to imagine Ivan dressed up like a prince. Still, they could easily imagine Mylene wearing a beautiful princess gown.

"Well, it doesn't really matter if he would look silly or funny in a prince costume. As I see it, if there's romance between the two of them, I hope it blossoms into something beautiful. They make a cute couple." -Marinette said. She had noticed just how protective of Mylene, Ivan was. Whether they were in school or facing an akuma as Grizzly Bear and Forest Doe, he would always make sure she was alright. –"Like you and Nino." -she stated.

"Or like you and Adrien." -Alya said, as she waved back at Manon, who was waving at the two of them. –"You two are meant for each other, and you'll have to tell him about your feelings for him, sooner or later." -she told her friend.

"All in due time. I just had a date with him." -Marinette told her, blushing a little from thinking about Adrien.

"With the promise of a second date, I know, you told me that." -Alya smiled. –"Believe me, I'm really happy for you." -she said, when she heard her cell phone vibrating in her purse. Reaching for it, she grabbed it.

"What's the matter?" -Marinette asked her.

"Someone has sent a video to the Miraculous Blog, claiming that there's an Akuma running loose." -Alya said, as she opened the video on her cell phone. Opening it, part of her begged for it to be a fake or a prank, because she did not feel like ruining such a beautiful and relaxing afternoon. But another part of her begged for it to be real, just so they could have some action. –"Okay, let's see what we got."

The video started by showing a man dressed in green yelling at a man whose car was on the middle of the street. Looking at him, there was no way the man dressed in green was not an akuma. If not for the way he was dressed in, his skin tone would give him away in an instant. He was looking at the man with a menacing look in his eyes.

"So, let me ask you something, do you feel lucky today?" -Leprechaun asked the man who had previously insulted him, while letting out a maniacal laughter He was going

"W-What?"

"Oh, of course, a man as lucky as you, who has a job he has to get to, wouldn't even care about a poor guy who's down in his luck. It's a lot easier to criticize people and assume they're at fault when something bad happens and that prevents people like you to carry on their perfect little lies…" -Leprechaun kept rambling. –"Well, then let's see what happens when your luck changes!"

Snapping his fingers, the tires on the man's car blew up. And as if that was not enough, the garbage truck gained life and dumped its content on top of the car. As this happened, Leprechaun laughed on the man's face. Revenge was sweet. But the man seeing this happening, was not going to let him get the best of him. Trying to punch him in the face, he missed, as Leprechaun easily

"Oh, so you think you're a match for me, are you?" -he said, with a mocking voice, as his face turned serious, as well as his voice. –"Then, let me show you what happens when I get upset at someone."

Touching the man's arm, Leprechaun's hand began to glow golden, and then, the glow started to spread all over the man's arm, and eventually covering his whole body. Glowing like that, he tried to move but it was no use. He was turned into solid gold. Seeing that, everyone on that street, including the person who was taping it, panicked and ran for their lives, thus ending the video. Both Marinette, Alya and their kwamis, who had joined them to watch the video did not know how to react. An akuma who could turn people into solid gold and who seemed like he could control people's luck was something they had never even contemplated upon.

"Where was this filmed?" -Marinette asked Alya.

"According to this, it was just a few blocks from here, two minutes ago." -Alya answered her. You could tell she was nervous. –"Which means, he might be coming this way." -she said, when a loud noise, like an explosion was heard coming from the West. The people who were around all tried to guess what could that noise have been. But Marinette and Alya did not need to guess, they knew what it was… trouble.

"Then, I'll go and confront him." -Marinette declared.

"All by yourself?" -Alya asked her.

"No, I'll ask Ivan and Mylene to come with me." -Marinette told her, as she grabbed her phone and sent the two of them a text, telling them to meet her outside the carnival, as soon as possible.

"And what about Alya?! Are you just going to leave her here?!" -Trixx asked her.

"Someone has to take care of Manon and make sure she's safe." -Marinette answered the fox kwami.

"She's right, and… Look out!" -Alya screamed, as she threw herself in front of Marinette and pulled her from the bench.

Just as Marinette fell on her back, with Alya on top of her, something big hit the ground, coming from above. It did not take her much to understand that Alya had saved her life, and if it was not for her, she would have been flattened like a pancake by what landed where she was. Lifting her head, she saw that what hit the ground looked like a piece of what was once the front of a car. That was enough to scare just everyone away, who started to run in panic. How did that happened, the girls did not know, but one thing was certain, something like that meant trouble, big time.

" _This isn't good._ " -Marinette thought to herself.

"Are you alright?" -Alya asked her, as she helped getting back on feet.

"I'm okay. Like I said, get Manon and find a place to hide." -Marinette told Alya, as she looked to see if Manon was safe. The little one had exited the merry-go-round and was now running towards the girls, clearly scared and worried about them.

"Marinette! Alya! I'm scared!" -Manon exclaimed, as she reached them, and Alya hugged her close to her chest, trying to make her feel safe. Just like Manon, she and Marinette were still a little scared about what had happened, but they could not let her think that.

"Don't worry, Manon, everything's going to be alright." -Alya said, as she looked at Marinette and told her to go, just by the way she looked her in the eyes. –"Go! I'll stay with her."

"Look, Manon, stay here with Alya. I'm going to try and find a police officer who can help us." -Marinette told her, with a gentle and caring voice, trying to assure her that everything was going to be alright. –"Alya will look after you, while I go find help. Oh, and Alya, just in case I don't find a police officer, call 911, okay?" -she said, as she began to walk away.

Hearing what Marinette had told her, Alya understood what she meant. In case they would ever find themselves in a sticky situation, without being able to talk clearly to one another, they came up with codes to tell one another what the really wanted to say. And in that case, Marinette had told her to call the rest of the team, or text them for back-up. But before she could do that, she had to find a safe place to hide with Manon. Grabbing her by the wrist, Alya dragged her through the crowd, looking a for a place to hide. The options were many, but it seemed like others had had the same idea as her. After a pair of minutes, she found a hiding place for the two of them, inside the Kissing booth. The person who was working there had split the scene, so Alya and Manon had the whole place for themselves. The booth was quite small, but it was still big enough for the two of them to squeeze inside. Seeing just how the screams and the general pandemonium was scaring Manon, Alya checked her purse and grabbed Trixx from it. The fox kwami was once again going to be forced to pretend she was nothing more than a plushie. Trixx did not utter a single word, but Alya could tell from the way she looked at her, that she was anything but happy with that decision of hers.

"Here, Manon. You can play with her, if you want to." -Alya told her with a smile on her lips, as she waved Trixx on her hand.

"Really? It looks a little like the one Marinette promised me she would do." -Manon said.

"That's because she did this one too. You can keep it, until Marinette comes back with the police." -Alya smiled, as she handed Trixx to Manon, who was not happy to be some little girl's dolly again.

" _You're so going to pay me for this one, Alya…_ " -Trixx thought to herself, as Manon began to play with her.

With Manon busy, distracted from everything that was happening outside, Alya grabbed her cell phone and began to text every single member of their team, hoping that at least one more of them could join Marinette, Ivan and Mylene in fighting whoever that akuma was.

* * *

Outside the carnival, Marinette ran into Ivan and Mylene, who were looking for her. She did not need to tell them they had to find a place to change into their hero personas. Following Marinette, Ivan and Mylene could not help but to wonder what kind of akuma was running wild. Turning a corner, Marinette almost bumped into a young woman who was coming from the opposite direction, clearly not knowing what was going on. Finally, she found an alley that looked perfect for their needs, turning into it.

"Where's Alya?" -Mylene asked her, as she and Ivan turned into the alley.

"I left her with Manon. I couldn't leave her all by herself." -Marinette answered her.

"You did the right thing. Alya will protect her." -Mylene waved her head.

"So, what exactly are we up against?" -Ivan asked.

"From what Alya and I saw in a video, a guy that seemingly can control a person's luck to his advantage. Plus, when he gets pissed, he can turn people into solid gold, just by touching them." -Marinette told him.

"That's bad." -Mylene said.

"You guys have to transform and go up against that guy, before people get hurt." -Tikki exclaimed, as she, Pin and Muria hovered in front of their faces.

"Tikki's right! Say the magic words, and let's go!" -Pin agreed.

"It's time for us to save the day." -Muria exclaimed, ready to lend his powers to Ivan.

"Let's just hope we're not the only ones trying to stop this guy." -Marinette sighed, hoping that Alya had managed to contact someone else. –"Tikki, transforme moi!"

"Pin, transforme moi!" -Mylene exclaimed.

"Muria, transforme moi!" -Ivan exclaimed.

* * *

In the meantime, two blocks away from the carnival, Leprechaun kept causing mayhem. He had just made a car crash against another, because he saw just how expensive they were. He kept laughing maniacally, jumping from one side to the other. A beat cop who had already called for back-up, tried to shoot him. But, Leprechaun decided to change things, so he used his powers to rust the gun to the point that it was absolutely worthless, before laughing on the police officer's face.

"Ha! Sorry, but your luck has just run out." -Leprechaun laughed, as he touched the officer on the shoulder, instantly turning him into golden statue. –"Guess that's that for you, copper!" -he laughed maniacally. –"Now… who's next?"

Reptile, who kept following him, alternating his appearance, so he was not spotted, was actually impressed with the amount of chaos and mayhem he had managed to conjure in just a few minutes. None of the other akumatized had done such a thing, in so little time.

" _I'm liking this guy… if there's someone who can get rid of those kids, it will be him, for sure…_ " -Reptile laughed to himself.

He had not finished that sentence, when someone near him pointed out to the sky. Ladybug, Forest Doe and Grizzly Bear had just arrived, and when Leprechaun saw them, he started to laugh even louder then before. Seeing him act like that, Ladybug assumed they were in the presence of a rather insane akuma.

"Freeze, you idiot!" -Forest Doe said, as pointed her bow and arrow at Leprechaun.

"Oh, the mighty heroes have come to play, have they?" -Leprechaun joked, rubbing his hands in glee.

"Who are you?!" -Ladybug asked him, while positioning herself for a fight.

"My name's Leprechaun, master of luck!" -he declared with a mischievous smile on his face. –"And you are Ladybug, leader of the Miraculous Team, which seems to be incomplete today. What happened to the rest? Don't tell me that unlike you, they think their luck will not save them?" -he joked, letting another laugh.

"We're more than enough to take you on, you freak!" -Grizzly Bear said, as he clenched his fists feeling the smooth cold metal of his brass knuckles against his gloves.

"We'll just see about that, then!" -Leprechaun laughed maniacally, his laughter becoming higher and higher, not to mention annoying with each second. Just from hearing him, the three heroes wanted to break his teeth and shut him up.


	12. Battle at the Carnival

The fight between the three members of the Miraculous Team and Leprechaun quickly escalated, with the three heroes doing their best to defeat Leprechaun, whose powers seemed too much for them at first. The good thing about controlling who is lucky and who is not, is that you tend to hog all the luck to yourself, leaving the others with none. And for the heroes, this forced them to rely even more on their abilities to evade Leprechaun's attacks, which sometimes felt like they had jumped out of an old cartoon. Every time he used his goo/bad luck powers, the results could end up being as unpredictable as a Tex Avery cartoon, where anything was possible. And to make matters worse, Reptile showed up, joining the fight, telling Leprechaun that Hawk Moth had sent him to help. Seeing him, Grizzly Bear wasted no time in tackling him. Just like it happened with some of his other teammates, he wanted a piece of Reptile, for having let him escape the last time he showed his ugly face in battle. Though Grizzly had grown stronger and faster since he gained his powers, the same thing happened with Reptile, who besides becoming stronger and faster, had also began to handle his switchblade with a lot more cunning. Plus, his physical attacks had become even more animalistic than they were, when they first met.

"You think you can actually defeat me?" -Reptile asked Grizzly Bear.

"If Antelope beat the snot out of you, and he has no muscles, how hard can it be, disgusting snake, you?" -Grizzly mocked him, as he threw another punch, missing him by just a few inches.

"Oh yeah? Well, we'll see who laughs best in the end…" -Reptile declared, as he opened his mouth and revealed two rows of sharp-pointing teeth.

"Bring it on!" -Grizzly Bear exclaimed, as he launched himself towards the lizard man.

And while all this happened, no one else showed up. Ladybug started to wonder if Alya had managed to contact any of the others, and if so, what were they doing, and where were they? And then, it hit her. What if something had happened to Alya and Manon? What if they were hurt and they needed help? Those questions were making her even more nervous than she already was.

"No! Snap out of it! Stop thinking those things. They're both safe at the carnival, and they'll stay safe, as long as we take this guy down, before he gets there!" -she told herself, as she jumped over a turned car, trying to land a kick on Leprechaun, only to fail. –"Where are the others? Don't tell me we're the only ones available?" -she thought, growing more nervous.

Doing their best, the three heroes tried every trick in the book to stop Leprechaun, but being only three and having to deal with Reptile as well, the whole thing looked like an impossible mission. They desperately needed help, and fast because as the minutes went by, Leprechaun's powers grew stronger.

The only one who was enjoying that show was Hawk Moth, who was watching it from his lair. Like always, one of his Akuma butterflies had produced a very interesting akuma, to say the least. Leprechaun's powers were far greater than he could have anticipated. Plus, only three Miraculous Team members were fighting him. He did not know what had happened for only three of them showing up, but he did not mind or cared. If Leprechaun had to kill those kids that were always running Hawk Moth's plans one by one, the villain did not mind. As long as they ended up dead, he could not care less about how they were killed. By his side, Madame Romani also watched what was going on.

"Leprechaun's powers are quite unpredictable, master." -Master Romani.

"Indeed. My akuma butterflies keep surprising me whenever they akumatize anyone. You never know what kind of powers they will unleash on a person." -Hawk Moth said.

"What bothers me is that only three of those pesky heroes have showed up." -Madame Romani declared, as she watched Forest Doe disappearing and reappearing a couple of feet forward, trying to confuse Leprechaun. –"Where are the others?"

"I don't know, but it doesn't really matter. Leprechaun will kill them all, whether if he as to do it separately, or all at the same time." -Hawk Moth smirked evilly, as continued to watch the action on the swimming pool. -"Those infernal brats have finally met someone who has what it takes to eliminate them, once and for all."

* * *

As the battle went on, everyone on the streets ran away, looking for a safe place to stay, while Ladybug and the others fought against Leprechaun, who kept causing damage to the city and to the heroes themselves as well. The three of them had lost count of how many times they had been thrown against a wall, or smashed against a car or a bus that was in the middle of the street.

Help came to them, but not in the form they were expecting. The police arrived along with the SWAT team to take on Leprechaun. Blocking the street with their cars and vans, they all pulled out their weapons and pointed them at the akuma, as well as Reptile. The heroes, seeing this, quickly got out of the way, though they knew the police was not going to be able to do anything. Still, this counter-attack would give them a little time to redefine their strategy against Leprechaun. Up, on one of the rooftops, Ladybug, Forest Doe and Grizzly Bear talked among them, without ever taking their eyes of either Leprechaun or Reptile, who had stopped attacking and were now waiting to see what the police was going to do.

"This isn't working. That guy is making us look like idiots." -Forest Doe said.

"I agree. We need to come up with another plan."

"The problem is, it's just us three here. If there were more of us, maybe it would be harder for him to deal with us." -Grizzly Bear said.

"I know, and I agree with you. Unfortunately, we're the only ones here… I wonder what's keeping the others from getting here?"

"Well, I don't know about that, but this, is why we've been training in smaller groups to deal with these guys." -Forest Doe said. –"Still, I guess we need more training, because he's making monkeys out of us." -she sighed.

"That doesn't really matter now. We can't give up." -Ladybug told her. –"We can only hope someone else comes to help us, and while that doesn't happen, we have to hold the fort." -she declared.

"But…"

"No buts!" -the scarlet heroine told her. –"I know you're always a bit nervous during battle, but you don't need to be. We've got your back." -she said.

"Yeah, you got us by your side." -Grizzly Bear told Doe.

"Besides, even if it's just us three against him, we have to stay strong and fight." -Ladybug declared. –"We'll fight, and we'll win, so we can do one thing."

"What?" -Forest Doe asked her.

"To send a message to that Hawk Moth psychopath. A message telling him that he can send as many akumas and minions as he wants, because it won't make a difference. As long as we're around here, he'll never get his stinky claws on Paris or the world, because we won't let him." -Ladybug smiled confidently.

Downstairs, the commander of the SWAT team had grabbed a megaphone, and was now yelling orders to his men, while looking at the two individuals that had been identified as being affiliated with Hawk Moth. He was a man in his late forties or early fifties. His grey hair, icy-blue eyes and square jaw gave him an imposing stature, which inspired fear, but mostly respect among his men. Though Paris city hall and the government had acknowledged the danger that he represented, and had created plans and forces to intercept and deal with him or his acolytes, they kept treating him like a common terrorist. A dangerous terrorist, but still, only a terrorist. They did not acknowledge that what they were facing went beyond their knowledge. They refused to believe that something like magic could exist, even though they had seen it being used by both Hawk Moth and the Miraculous Team. To them, he was just a terrorist who had chosen Paris as his base of operations, and he had to be stopped, no matter the cost.

"Listen carefully, men! Do not fire until I give the order! If any of you fires a single round without my authorization, you'll have to answer it to me! And that goes for any other officer around here!" -the SWAT commander said, as he turned his attention to Leprechaun and Reptile, who were now the only ones on the street. –"And you two… Put your hands in the air! You have 10 seconds to comply, or will open fire!"

When he said that, Leprechaun laughed like crazy, much to the amazement of everyone there. Reptile did not utter a single word, but he too felt like laughing, after hearing that man. If he wanted to, the lizard man could easily rip him open with his bare hands, and there was nothing he, or his armed men could do to stop him.

"Ten seconds you say? Ha! I need only five seconds to make sure you won't bother us again!" -Leprechaun laughed.

"I'm warning you! Put your hands up in the air!"

"I think not…" -he snickered, as he looked at Reptile and said –"Get ready to move. This won't take more than a few seconds."

Snapping his fingers, he turned on the engines of all the police cars and vans that were parked in the roadblock, and made them overheat to the point of blowing up, creating a dark cloud of smoke that made it impossible for anyone to see. Seeing this, the three members of the Miraculous Team knew the police had taken their best shot and failed. Now, it was their turn to go on another round with Leprechaun. With, or without help from anyone else, they knew they had to stop him before someone got seriously hurt.

* * *

Though they did their best, Ladybug, Forest Doe and Grizzly Bear could not stop Leprechaun from reaching the carnival grounds. Most people that were there when Marinette and Alya were almost crushed by what was left of the front of a car had run away, afraid of what else could happen. But, some others decided to seek refuge either on some of the rides or on the game booths and food stands. And it was those same people that were now in danger.

Hidden in the kidding booth, Alya could only hear what was going on, while keeping Manon safe. She could hear the screams, the howling, the explosions, everything, as Manon hugged her as hard as she could, looking for comfort and safety.

"What's going on out there, Alya? I'm scared!" -Manon exclaimed.

"I don't know, Manon. But whatever it is, we'll be safe here." -Alya assured her.

"Are you sure?"

"As sure as I know that if something bad is out there, then Ladybug and the rest of the Miraculous Team will stop it." -Alya told her.

"If there really is something bad out there, you really think she can stop it?" -Manon asked her innocently.

"I know she can." -Alya smiled. –" _I just hope that a certain someone is able to come and help the gang, before they end up dead._ " -she thought to herself.

Not far from where Alya and Manon were hiding, Ladybug was trying to take Reptile down with the help of Grizzly Bear. Reptile was putting quite a fight, but he was no match for Ladybug's speed, who managed to kick him right in the chin, making him drop his switchblade, and giving Grizzly an opening to take him down. Taking advantage of it, the bear hero lunged against the lizard man, taking him down. Not happy with it, he began to punch him in the face over and over. He did not care if he smashed the lizard man's face into a pulp; he just wanted him to stand down, so he, Forest Doe and Ladybug could take care of Leprechaun without him getting in the way.

"That's enough, Grizzly!" -Ladybug ordered him. –"I think he had enough already." -she said, seeing him not moving. At first sight, one would think Grizzly Bear had killed him, but the truth was Reptile was much more resistant than he gave it away. –"Leave him there, we got to help Doe!"

"A-Alright.:" -Grizzly Bear said, as he tried to gain his breath back. –"But I'm not letting him get away this time." -he said

Looking around, he saw what it once had been a stop sign lying on the floor. Grabbing Reptile's left wrist, he dragged him until they reached a nearby bench, and then he used his strength to twist the metal pole and wrapped it around one of the bench's feet.

"Don't you move. When we're through with that clown, we'll come back for you." -Grizzly Bear said to a semi-conscious Reptile.

Not far from there, Forest Doe was doing her best to hit Leprechaun with her arrows. She had climbed to the top of the Ferris-wheel, so she could have a better look of the place, using it as a vantage point as well. Though her aim was as flawless as ever, the villain's powers allowed him to escape them, unharmed.

Still, she was not going to let that stop her from trying to stop him. The wind was in her favour, and she still had plenty of arrows to use against leprechaun. For some unknown reason, right then, on top of the Ferris-wheel, she felt just like Hawkeye did in The Avengers film, taking down Loki's Chitauri troops, one by one from the top of Manhattan's buildings. It was just her, her bow and her target. Taking a deep breath, she tried to relax before taking the shot. At that moment, Leprechaun was harassing a couple of people who had the unfortunate idea of exiting their hiding place.

"Just hold still…" -Forest Doe said, as she pulled the string, before releasing it.

The arrow she fired from her bow soared through the sky, sounding like a snake's hissing, while making its way to its target. Because he was distracted turning an unfortunate victim into solid gold, Leprechaun did not see or hear it heading its way. It was not until the arrow struck him on the shoulder that he figured out what had happened. Turning around, he tried to figure out where the arrow had come from, while also pulling the arrow from his shoulder. Seeing Doe up on the Ferris-wheel, he felt that he had played long enough with the Miraculous Team, and now it was time to get serious. Focusing his powers on the Ferris-wheel, he decided to weaken its structure, so it would come down. Nuts and bolts began to pop out of it at an incredible speed, weakening the structure, which began to undo. Realizing what was happening, Forest Doe tried to get out of there, jumping from cabin to cabin, trying to reach the ground safely. She had just jumped onto one of the cabins, when this one broke free from its junction. Luckily, help came from above, as a rope wrapped itself around the cabin, preventing it from crashing into the ground. Looking up, she saw her saviour on top of a tree, controlling the rope… Arachnid.

"You need a little help?!" -Arachnid exclaimed at her. If it had not been for him, she would have probably ended up as a bloody smudge on the ground.

"Thanks!" -Forest Doe thanked him, relieved, not only because he had saved her, but because he was there to help her and the others dealing with that akuma.

At the same time, Ladybug and Grizzly Bear attacked Leprechaun, but he repelled their attacks, throwing them into the air. Ladybug landed on one of the wooden horses from the merry-go-round, breaking it into pieces. As she tried to get back on her feet, she did not realize Leprechaun had used his powers to make the whole thing start working. Moving slowly, its speed increased quite fast, preventing Ladybug from getting out. Though she tried to stand up, the continuous spinning movement was making her feel sick. She tried to stop it, using her yo-yo, but the rotation combined with the speed made the yo-yo come back to her. Seeing her in trouble, Grizzly Bear tried to stop it himself, by using his brute strength. Looking for something to help him, he decided to use one of the Ferris-wheel's broken beams that was lying there as a lever to try and stop it. Aiming, he threw it into the spinning merry-go-round, and then pulled it towards him, acting as an emergency brake. Putting all his strength into it, Grizzly managed to slow down the thing. Unfortunately, he also blew up the thing, sending Ladybug, as well as an incredible amount of wooden and metal debris flying into the air. He too was also projected into the air, landing on a nearby bush.

Ladybug on the other hand was not so lucky, hitting the ground hard, and rolling a couple of feet, before stopping. She had not broken anything, but she knew she was going to feel that in a couple of hours. Still, the danger was not over yet. The scarlet heroine, who was still dizzy from both the explosion and the fall, failed to realize that a piece of debris had hit the base of a nearby tree, and the later was now falling towards her. When she saw what was happening, she froze in place. The tree was going to hit her, and there was nothing she could do. Still, not all her luck had not run out, because what happened next was beyond incredible, it was miraculous.

"Cataclysm!" -a voice was heard. Chat Noir's voice. Using his powers, he shoved both his fists into the falling tree and obliterated it, reducing it to ashes, and preventing it from landing on top of Ladybug, who could not believe her luck. Huffing and puffing from the physical effort he put in to save her partner, Chat turned around, always smiling and said. –"You really must be the luckiest girl in the world, right now." -he joked

Still a little shaken by what happened, Ladybug could not help but to smile at her partner.

"W-What took you so long?" -the scarlet heroine asked him.

"Photoshoot, and Arachnid over there was a little busy playing Overwatch, so it took us a little to get here. But don't worry, we're here now." -Chat told her.

Turned out that Alya had texted everyone, but only two were able to answer the call, and those two were Adrien and Max. The rest were either busy with something they could not get out of, or, were currently out of town, which was Chloé and Nino's case. Still, two more heroes to the rescue were better than none. Ladybug smiled, as Chat gently grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him. Already up on her feet, she dusted herself, while trying not to show just how hurt she was.

"Arachnid, I can understand, but you, how did you manage to get away from…"

"Oh, I told them I needed to lay down for a little bit, and went into my trailer." -Chat told her.

"You've got a trailer?!" -she asked him, a little surprised.

"Yeah, not my idea, but hey, I'm not complaining." -Chat Noir chuckled. –"But seriously, I'm just happy that I got here just in time to save you. Otherwise, we would have ended up with a Ladybug pancake." -she joked, making her smile. –"So, what are we exactly up against?"

Before she could answer him, Leprechaun showed up in front of him, laughing like crazy. He had been watching the whole thing from a couple of meters, and was rather disappointed that Ladybug was not dead; but on the other hand, he was happy to have one more hero to play with. Seeing him, Chat decided to grace him with one of his jokes.

"Hey! Didn't I see you in a box of cereals somewhere? Or was it at the end of a rainbow? You know, I really don't know… you little green men all look the same to me!" -Chat Noir joked with him.

"Oh, so the kitty-cat thinks he's funny, then?" -Leprechaun laughed.

"I don't think I'm funny… I'm hilarious!" -Chat Noir shot at him, as the Grizzly Bear, Forest Doe and Arachnid joined him and Ladybug. –"But you, you already had your fun, and it's time for us to end this party!" -he exclaimed, as he pointed his staff at the akuma.

"Ha! Don't make me laugh, boy! You may be a black cat, but I'm the one who controls good and bad luck around here… and I'm going to enjoy killing you, by using that luck!" -Leprechaun smirked evilly, as he readied himself for the next round.

* * *

Still hidden in the kissing booth with Manon, Alya could only hear what was going on, and what she heard was not good. Between the sound of screeching metal hitting the ground and an explosion, not to mention the police sirens that could be heard approaching the carnival ground, she could only speculate what was going on. She wanted to just get up and look out the booth, to see what was going on, but she could not. Alya feared that the akuma would see her and attack the booth, hurting her, Manon and Trixx.

Manon kept hugging, squeezing Trixx between the two of them. She too wanted to get out of there, but she was afraid of what

"What's going on, Alya?" -Manon asked her, after hearing the sirens. –"I hear the police."

"I hear them too, Manon." -Alya declared. –"They're probably here to help." -she said, as she tried to hear closely to what was going on. She kept hearing the sirens, as well as the voices of what she thought were the voices of police officers. –"Manon, keep your head down. I'm going to try and see what's going on."

Looking over the booth, being careful not to be spotted by the akuma, in case he was around, Alya saw that there were many police officers running around the place. They were helping the people that had taken refuge inside the booths, food stands and rides evacuating. She also saw her friends at the distance fighting Leprechaun, and was relieved to see that Chat Noir and Arachnid had arrived. And seeing them fighting, made her wish even more that she was there with them, kicking that guy's bottom. But, Marinette had trusted her with Manon's safety, and she was going to make sure that she would stay safe. Smiling, she decided it was time for them to get out of there.

"Manon, honey, the police are here. We're going with them."

"But what about Marinette?" -Manon asked her. –"She said she was going to look for an officer. Do you think she's with them?"

"I don't really know, Manon. Maybe she is." -Alya told her. –"Come on, grab my hand and don't let go." -she said, as she dragged her out of the kissing booth, and made her way to one of the officers, who told her to head to where the police cars were. Doing this, she could not help but to look back and see her friends fighting the akuma. Silently, she wished them good luck.

The heroes, realizing the police was there to evacuate the place, kept fighting leprechaun, hoping that by fighting him, he would focus his attention on them, and leave the innocent bystanders alone. Now that Reptile was out of commission, they only had one target to worry about. Still, even with the help of Chat Noir and Arachnid, the group of heroes were having trouble to keep up with Leprechaun, who kept using his powers to either keep them away from him, or to kill them. They had tried every kind of fighting combination they knew in order to stop him, but none of them seemed to work. And the worst part what that he seemed to not have any weaknesses.

Lying on the floor, after being thrown against a tree, Ladybug observed Forest Doe and Arachnid combining her arrows and his lasso, to create an attack that in theory would have prevented Leprechaun to move from the place he was then. Having the ability to manipulate luck seemed like the ultimate gimmick, and he was using it in the best way possible,

But, as fate would happen, in a moment of pure luck, Chat Noir accidently found his weakness.

" _Oh, so you don't like that, huh? Guess I found your weakness, buster!_ " -he thought to himself.


	13. Seven Years Bad Luck

It had been a moment of pure luck, that one that Chat Noir had found Leprechaun's weakness. And that moment occurred when Chat slipped on something that was on the floor, hitting it with his chin. The whole scene looked like something out of an old comedy movie. Still, that did not matter. What mattered was what he saw when he was down. Leprechaun had just used his powers to throw Grizzly Bear into the air, making him fall several feet ahead. Grizzly still tried to stop, but he kept rolling until he hit a bunch of funhouse mirrors, shattering them into a million pieces. He managed to get out unscathed, but Leprechaun, when he saw what happened, his whole body began to shiver, while he himself felt rather weak. If one had not paid attention, it would have never seen how shattering those mirrors affected him. But luckily, Chat Noir saw it, and fully understood what had happened.

" _Oh, so you don't like that, huh? Guess I found your weakness, buster!_ " -he thought to himself. As he picked himself up, he kept musing to himself on just what had happened. –"You don't like broken mirrors because it's considered bad luck to break one… Maybe that's it! If we start doing things that attract bad luck near him, we may be able to weak him enough to get the akuma butterfly from inside him! I've got to warn the others!"

As he helped Ladybug get back on her feet, his eyes scouted his surroundings, looking for one particular thing, a funhouse. Every carnival had at least one, and in a funhouse, there was usually a labyrinth with dozens, if not hundreds of mirrors. He could already imagine what would happen, if they managed to get him inside of it, and then start to break all the mirrors inside, weakening him to the point he would be as weak as a kitten. And then, he saw it, to his left, a funhouse. Its front had seen better days, but the clowns drawn on it still managed to do their job of catching people's eye. It was not that big, but he could easily see that inside it would be enough mirrors for his plan to work. Still, just breaking mirrors would not be enough to weaken Leprechaun.

"If Panda Rouge was here now, he would be able to conjure a bunch of stairs for him to go under, as well as a few giant number 13s in bright and shiny colours, among other things." -he thought to himself. –"Still, will have to go with what we've got and hope for the best."

"Chat? Chat?! Are you listening to me?!" -Ladybug snapped him out, bringing him back to reality.

"S-Sorry… I was just… I think I found a way to put him out of commission." -the feline hero smiled at her.

"How?" -Ladybug asked him.

He quickly told Ladybug what he had seen, and how he intended to make use of Leprechaun's weakness to take him down, explaining her his plan. Logically, Ladybug believed what her partner told her, but still, she asked him if he was really sure, because it could have been just a happy coincidence. Knowing that, Chat told her there was only one way to find out for sure. He was going to draw Leprechaun's attention to the funhouse, by letting the akuma follow him inside, and once inside, he would start braking mirrors, while she told the others the rest of the plan, and their part in it.

"Alright, I'll do it, but be careful, okay?"

"I will, and don't worry, I've got nine lives, remember?!" -Chat joked, as he grabbed his staff and ran towards where Leprechaun was.

Because he was busy avoiding punches from Grizzly Bear, Leprechaun did not see Chat Noir approaching him from behind. It was only when Chat hit him with his staff that he realized that he was behind him. Turning around, he attacked Chat Noir, just as he signalled Grizzly to let him go one on one against him.

"So, the kitty cat wants to go on another round, does he?" -Leprechaun asked Chat with his annoying voice.

"Yup, I do. And believe me when I say to you that this is going to be the last round, at least, for you!" -Chat smirked.

He had not finished the sentence, and Leprechaun was already using his powers to try and catch him. To give Ladybug time to tell the others about his plan, Chat Noir knew he had to keep him busy for a little while. So, he decided to take him for a little ride around the carnival. Dodging Leprechaun's attacks, Chat dove right into some of the now empty game booths. The first he dove right into was the Can Knock Down. On the ground was a worn out top hat, which he put on that very same minute, and then grab three baseballs, showing up from beneath the counter, juggling them, as Leprechaun stopped in front of the booth.

"Step right up! Step right up! Hey buddy, why don't you try your luck?" -Chat Noir smiled, as he kept juggling the baseballs in the air. –"I mean, come on, with all those lucky powers, you can easily win a prize!" -he said.

Seeing that as a taunt, Leprechaun used his powers, and the whole booth came down like a house of cards. If one had paid attention to it, it would notice that the wood that the booth was made of was absolutely rotten. Leprechaun had used is bad luck powers to rot the wood, and thus make it crumble. Luckily, Chat managed to jump into another booth. This one was different. It was bigger, and the game you could play in it was different. Seeing the whole floor covered in blown up balloons, it did not take much for Chat to guess what game it was. On that booth, you played Balloon Dart.

"Okay, not a big fan of the of knocking down cans, I get it… maybe you're more interested in blowing up balloons=!" -Chat Noir joked, as he handed Leprechaun a couple of darts. –"Come on, give me your best shot!"

Once more, Leprechaun's bad luck powers proved to be incredibly unpredictable. The darts flew off Chat's hand and targeted the feline's head. If he had not dodged when he did, his head would have turned into a pin cushion, with the darts stuck to it. But that, was just the beginning. A few seconds later, dozens, if not hundreds of sharp objects from all over the carnival came flying through the air like bullets, targeting Chat and the booth. In a matter of seconds, the booth was obliterated by them, and Chat managed to get away without a single scratch. Still, if he was not as fast he was, he would have ended up shredded to pieces. Landing on his belly, he tried to get back on his feet the following instant. He knew he had been lucky, and he was running out of places to hide, but still, the others needed a little more time. He knew that if he took Leprechaun inside the funhouse now, and his hunch was wrong, only God knew what would happen if Leprechaun used his powers. Still, if his hunch was wrong, then all he had asked Ladybug and the others to do would be useless. Trusting his gut, he decided to get him to the funhouse, and hope for the best… but to do that, Leprechaun could not suspect a thing.

"Okay, here's a joke just for you. Why can't you borrow money from a Leprechaun? Easy, because they're always a little short!" -Chat joked, while making the snare drum sound, in an attempt to piss him off.

The joke earned him just what he wanted, an attack from Leprechaun, which forced him to move closer to the funhouse, without realizing. Chat believed that if he could force Leprechaun to attack him once more, then, all he needed to do was push him inside with a quick swing from his staff. And to do that, he was going to use the food booth that was to his right. Grabbing a piece of cotton candy and a candy apple, he could not help himself and took a bite out of the apple.

"Alright, since you don't want to play, how about we go for a little treat?" -Chat Noir asked him, with a piece of cotton candy and a candy apple on his hands, still chewing on the bite he took. –"Do you prefer cotton candy, or candy apples?" -he asked Leprechaun. –"Hmmm… I think you're the kind of person who loves candy apples, am I right?"

"I'm the kind of person who prefers dead cat!" -Leprechaun shot at Chat Noir, as he snapped his fingers, and the cotton candy spinner began to work, spinning candy cotton at an incredible speed. To make matter worst, the cotton candy strings gain life, and began to wrap themselves around Chat Noir, who saw himself turned into a pink mummy in a matter of seconds. While trying to move, he ended up falling flat on the ground.

" _I've heard of being wrapped up in your work, but this is ridiculous._ " -Chat Noir thought, as he tried to free himself from that sticky situation.

Seeing his opponent lying on the floor, absolutely hopeless, Leprechaun could not help but to stand over him, laughing with his high-pitched squeaky voice, as if he himself was s kind of crazy and wacky cartoon.

"Well, well, well, look at you, boyo!" -Leprechaun kept laughing. –"I guess you could say I wrapped up everything nicely, haven't I?" -he mocked Chat.

"Oh, yeah? Well, I got news for you, man… You know what I am? I'm a black cat, and you know what they say about black cats. We tend to give bad luck to anyone who crosses our path. And in your case, there's a double dosage of bad luck coming your way, buster… Cataclysm!" -Chat Noir exclaimed, as he used his attack to reduce the cotton candy he was wrapped in to ashes. With a quick swing of his legs, he got back up in an instant and he extended his staff, knocking Leprechaun on his stomach. –"Let's go for a ride, mister!"

Swinging his staff once again, he hit Leprechaun on the stomach and then on his left shoulder, so fast, that he did not even had the time to react. Chat knew that at any moment, Leprechaun could give him the slip and use his powers again, so, he made sure to hit him again and again, using both his staff as well as fists and feet. There was no way he was going to let him get away. With a nice butterfly kick, the feline hero pushed him inside, breaking the doors in the process.

Once inside, the first thing that a person would hear was an annoying circus music, which kept playing over and over. Combined with the number of mirrors that were around, creating quite the labyrinth, that made that place the worst nightmare for someone who suffered from claustrophobia. Fortunately, Chat was many things, but he had no kind of phobias. Because it was so dark inside, even with his feline powers, his eyes took a couple of seconds to get used to the poor lighting. When he got accustomed to it, he looked around, looking for Leprechaun, but he was nowhere in sight.

" _Where did you go? I know you're here…_ " -he told himself.

Moving inside, he entered the labyrinth of mirrors, looking for Leprechaun, as his boots squeaked on the polished wooden floor. But the only thing he saw was his own twisted reflection on the mirrors. Since some of the mirrors moved, it was hard for him to see what it was real and it was not. He expected Leprechaun to jump out of nowhere the following moment, so, he tried to focus on not letting his guard down.

"So, you think you can find me, boy?!" -Leprechaun voice was heard all over the place.

"Oh, I certainly can… the question is, are you going to come out and fight me?" -Chat challenged him.

Saying that, and Leprechaun's twisted reflection showed up in front of him, startling him. Turning around, he was not there. All those moving mirrors were playing tricks on his eyes, and Leprechaun was enjoying startling him.

" _I should hurry and eliminate him… but not just yet. I'm having way too much fun with this game of cat and mouse._ " -Leprechaun thought to himself, clearly enjoying himself.

He soon found out that he could not trust his eyes, nor his ears, because of the dreadful music that muffled Leprechaun's footsteps, not to mention the way the whole place was built, which echoed his diabolical laughter. He wanted to start smashing all those mirrors, but he needed to have the akuma in front of him to see if he was really affected by that. Closing his eyes, he tried to use a trick he had seen on one of his favourite cartoon series, Samurai Jack, where the hero, unable to get to his opponents, blinded himself and used the sound to get to them. In his case, he would use the vibrations Leprechaun gave away every time he moved, to know where he was. Focusing, he blocked off everything that could trick him, and relied only on what he could feel. He felt the mirrors vibrating every time they turned or moved, as well as the music that echoed on the walls. In his head, he could see it all, without needing his eyes. And then, he felt something else vibrating, Leprechaun's body, who was approaching him. Chat felt him approaching closer and closer, and waited for the right moment to strike him. He could sense that Leprechaun was rubbing his hands in joy, as he approached Chat, believing that all those mirrors would prevent him from guessing where he really was. And then, Chat moved his staff to the right, hitting Leprechaun in his left leg, making him howl in pain, as he turned to him.

"Ouch… I guess you found me, boy…" -Leprechaun told him, as he tried to ignore the pain in his leg.

"Good, because it's time to end this show." -Chat shot at him.

"What do you mean end this show? Do I have to remind you that I control all the luck? If you and your friends managed to get a couple of good shots at me, it was because I was distracted, that's all." -Leprechaun laughed, thinking he was still in control of the situation. –"Do you really think you can actually stop me, before I get tired of you lot and decide to kill?"

"As a matter of fact, yes!" -Chat Noir exclaimed, with a smirk on his face, as he swung his staff in the air. Leprechaun thought he was going to strike him, only to be surprised, when Chat broke one of the mirrors on his left.

As soon as the staff hit the mirror and broke it into dozens of pieces, which landed on the floor, something inside Leprechaun's chest made him squirm. He could not exactly describe it, but it was like someone had stabbed him in the heart. The stinging pain only lasted for a moment, but it was enough to make him a little paler than he was. Just like Chat had theorized, he really did not like when someone broke mirrors near him, because it meant 7 years bad luck to the one who did it. But just to make sure, he broke another one. The result was the very same. He had struck gold per say. Now, all he need to do weak him enough, so they could go to phase 2 of his plan, which he hoped, the others were getting ready for.

"I knew it, you don't like it when someone does something that brings bad luck…" -Chat Noir smirked.

"Y-You little…" -Leprechaun said, a she reached for Chat who somersaulted over him, and using his staff, broke another mirror, sending a wave of pain over Leprechaun's body.

Leprechaun wanted to use his powers to get rid of Chat and stop him, but the pain he was in was too great for him to focus. With each mirror Chat broke, the pain he was feeling grew exponentially. Plus, he began to feel weaker than before. Somehow, he had a weakness and Chat Noir was taking advantage of it. He tried to stop him by throwing himself at him, but the feline hero easily jumped out of the way, and continued to break every mirror he saw.

" _He's getting weaker, yes!_ " -Chat told himself, as he broke another mirror. The sound of mirrors being smashed had just become one of his favourite sounds ever, as he saw Leprechaun on the ground, squirming in pain. The way he squirmed, it felt like someone was having a seizure. The hero could not help but to feel a little sorry for him, but he knew that when they got him back to normal, he would not remember a thing and would thank them for helping him.

Seeing no other way, Leprechaun decided it was time for him to retreat. He would escape and regain his strength, to come back and finish Chat and the others. He tried to get back on his feet, but the pain he was in, only allowed him to crawl over the floor. Seeing what he was attempting to do, Chat stopped for a moment, giving Leprechaun time to crawl a little longer, before getting on his feet.

"Hey, don't tell me you don't want to play anymore?" -Chat joked. When he did not say anything. –"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" -he kept shooting joked into the air. –"For a guy who's always laughing like a maniac and saying all kinds of crazy things, you certainly became quiet all of a sudden."

"L-Laugh while you c-can, kitty-cat. Because, I'll be back…" -Leprechaun told him, as he limped out of there.

Heading outside, he planned to disappear somehow. What he did not expect, was that the rest of the Miraculous Team that showed up to fight him also had a little something prepared just for him. Phase 2 of Chat's plan consisted in Ladybug and the others showing or presenting Leprechaun with things that symbolized bad luck. With very little time, the fixe heroes were forced to see what they could find in that carnival. Luckily, they found everything they needed and were now ready to make sure Leprechaun's reign of terror came to an end.

Looking at them, he did not know why they were standing there, but the look on their eyes could only mean trouble for him. He tried to use his powers to make a quick escape, but weak as he was, he could not do anything, except watch what they had prepared for him.

"Hey, you want a kitty-cat?" -Forest Doe approached him, while holding a black cat plushie on her hands. Seeing that, Leprechaun felt a stab on the heart. He did not understand how a plushie could do that to him, while Chat Noir, who was dressed like a black cat had not effect on him.

"Maybe he prefers a clock, like this one!" -Arachnid threw him an alarm clock. This made Leprechaun fall to his knees, the pain in his chest making him pant, as if he had just run the marathon. The reason was because in the Chinese culture, to give a clock has the same pronunciation as attending their funeral.

"No, no, no, stop that!" -Ladybug said, pretending she was coming to help him. –"What he needs is this, some spilled salt." -she said, as she opened a bag of salt she had brought from one of the food stands, and spilled it all over the floor, in front of Leprechaun.

"Oh, come on, if you guys want to stop him, once and for all, all you've got to do, is go under a ladder!" -Grizzly Bear exclaimed, as he passed under a ladder he placed against a tree for that purpose.

They would be lying if they did not admit they were having a little fun with that. Torturing an akuma was probably one of the best parts of being a superhero in that town. It's not like they were sadistic or anything, but it felt good to punish the evil part of those that were akumatized. The more things they did to attract bad luck, the weaker he got. It was only a matter of time, before he finally passed out on the floor. Seeing him on the floor, the heroes could not help to feel that that had been too easy. Still, it was as people say: "Never look a gift horse in the mouth.", and that was exactly what they were going to do

"Guess we exaggerated a little." -Forest Doe said.

"Who cares? At least now we can get rid of the Akuma butterfly inside him, without a hitch." -Chat Noir declared, as he exited the funhouse, with a triumphant smile on his face.

"He's right, you know?" -Arachnid said. –"So, who wants to do the honours and take care of the Akuma butterfly?"

"Let Chat do it. It was his plan after all." -Grizzly Bear said.

"Yeah, you earned the right, kitty-cat." -Ladybug winked at him.

"Well, if you guys don't mind it, here it goes." -Char Noir said, as the Akuma butterfly exited Leprechaun's body. -"No more evil-doings for you, you stupid Akuma butterfly! Time to relinquish you from evil!" -he said, as he smashed the nasty creature with the now glowing tip of his staff, destroying it.

The moment the creature was no more, Leprechaun returned to normal, as Ladybug herself used the powers of the Ampulla amulet to turn everything back to the way it was before he showed up. A magical energy wave spread all over the place, returning the carnival to the way it was. And the same happened with the streets where Leprechaun had caused trouble. As soon as this happened, the people in the street immediately knew that the akuma had been defeated and all thanks to the Miraculous Team. The city had been saved, and the heroes could only After using the power of the amulet, Ladybug felt a little dizzy. Seeing that, Chat placed his arm around her waist, supporting her. She did not say anything, but she liked when he did that. Not only it was sweet of him, but she also felt safer. A few seconds later, the man that had been Leprechaun woke up, and his head felt like it was going to split into two.

"Are you alright?" -Arachnid asked him.

"W-What happened?" -Albert asked him, not having any kind of memory of what happened during his transformation into Leprechaun. –"T-The last thing I remember was standing by the river, and then…"

The heroes quickly briefed him on what happened, stating that it was over and nobody got hurt. It was not the first time they told someone who had been akumatized, but every time they had to do that, it felt like it was the very first. Every akumatized victim was different from the previous, and they had to be careful with what they said, because firstly, it was not their wish to blame them on what they might have done while being controlled by Hawk Moth, and second, they had to be sure that what they said to the victim did not make them feel bad about themselves. Still, they believed that they were getting better at it.

"My God… I must have been really down for Hawk Moth to have chosen me." -Albert sighed.

"That doesn't matter now. It's in the past." -Forest Doe told him.

"I guess so… still, I can't help but to think that all of this happened because of my bad luck." -Albert said, as he told them a brief account of his life.

"Don't say that. Luck is what you make of it." -Ladybug told him. –"Sure, it might be hard to see the bright side of life, when you're feeling down in your luck, but, if you don't try, you'll always see life in a gloomy way."

"She's right, you know?" -Chat told him. –"If you have a positive view on life, you'll see that your luck will change, eventually."

The words of encouragement from all the heroes made wonders for Albert's self-esteem, who was needing a little boost. With those words, Albert felt better about himself, and about life itself. All kinds of bad thoughts he previously had were gone, and he felt like he could do anything. He did not know if it had been the fact that he had been akumatized and then turned back to normal, or if it had been what Ladybug and the others told him to lift his spirit up. But one thing was certain, he felt like a new man. Thanking them for it, he told them that from then on, he would try to look on the brighter side of life, as he walked away, with the intention of surrendering to the police, who would want to interrogate him, just like it happened with every other of Hawk Moth's victims.

"There goes a changed man." -Arachnid smiled.

"I guess you could say that." -Ladybug agreed.

"I'm glad we could help him. It mustn't be hard for someone who had so much bad luck in his life, to start believing that only bad things will come its way." -Forest Doe said.

"At least some good came out of all this." -Chat Noir said. –"That Hawk Moth… times like this that I only wish we knew where he was, so we could go after him and clobber his face into mush!" -he gritted his teeth, just from thinking about it.

"Hold that thought!" -Grizzly Bear said. –"I think I know someone who will be giving us the answer to that very question." -he told him, filled with confidence. He knew that with a little patience, and a few well-placed punches to the stomach and face, Reptile was going to sing like a canary.

Unfortunately, when he and the others got to where Grizzly had left him, the bear hero had a surprise waiting for him. Reptile was nowhere to be seen. But, he had left something behind… his lower arm. The bastard had ripped his arm below his elbow, just to get away. As he looked at the dismembered limb that was still restrained by the improvised cuffs he had made with the stop sign, he could not help but to feel sick about it.

"Okay, that's disgusting." -Forest Doe said.

"That snake… he pulled a 127 Hours on his own arm, just to get away." -Grizzly Bear said, frustrated.

"Got to give him credit, though. It's not many people who would do that, just to get away from a tight situation." -Chat said, feeling disgusted by what he was seeing.

"I wonder if his arm will grow back?" -Ladybug asked. –"I'm just saying this, because Hawk Moth doesn't seem like the kind of man who would keep a defective minion around." -she stated, imagining Hawk Moth getting a new lieutenant, after getting rid of Reptile himself.

"Well, there are a number of lizards and salamanders that are known for being able to regrow lost limbs, and given that Reptile is half lizard, it's possible that he can regrow it back." -Arachnid said, as he kneeled and examined the severed limb. Unlike his teammates, he was not disgusted by what he saw, mostly because he was looking at it through the eyes of a scientist. –"One thing I'm sure of, must have used his teeth or his switchblade to cut off the muscle. As for the bone, he broke it by using his own weight."

"The police will surely want to take a look at this." -Chat said, not taking his eyes off the severed limb. Something inside him feared that if he looked away, the arm would start moving.

"Speaking of police, I don't know about you guys, but we better get out of here, and leave the rest to the boys in blue." -Ladybug said. She had to go back being plain old Marinette and join Alya and Manon.

"Yeah, and we've got to get back to our date." -Grizzly Bear said.

"You mean, you guys are really dating?" -Arachnid asked him, surprised. –"Like, dating as in boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"No, not yet." -Forest Doe giggled. –"We'll probably get there soon, but not just yet. For now, we're just, you know, colourful friends." -she said, as she looked at Grizzly Bear, who smiled back at her.

"Okay, I guess." -Arachnid shrugged his shoulders. He was happy for his friends.

"Well, I'll be going. See you guys, later!" -Chat Noir said, as he jumped to the top of one of the booths, and from there used the Ferris-wheel to jump into one of the nearby rooftops, disappearing out of sight.

The others also scattered, each going a different direction. But before she could return to normal, Ladybug had to check on Alya and Manon. Swinging over the place where everyone had been taken by the police upon the carnival's evacuation, it took her just a couple of seconds to spot them. The two were sat in a bench, near a police car. As she went down, Alya saw her and just wanted to give her a hug, to congratulate her on the job well done. But, she had to restrain herself, so Manon would not suspect a thing.

"Hey there! You're Alya from the Miraculous Blog, right?" -Ladybug asked her. –"Yeah, it's you! I recognized you from up there. Are you alright?" -she said.

"L-Ladybug? You remember me?" -Alya asked her, following the heroine's game.

"Of course, I do. You and your friends interviewed me and the rest of my team for your blog, and I never forget a name, nor a face." -Ladybug winked at her. She was happy to see her friend was alright. –"And who's this little girl? Your little sister?" -she smiled at Manon, who blushed like a tomato when the heroine looked at her.

"Oh, no, that's a friend of mine and Marinette, you remember her, right?" -Alya smiled. –"We're babysitting her. She's Manon."

Manon had not spoken a word, since Ladybug dropped from the sky. She was in shock for having Ladybug standing in front of her. Seeing that she was not going to say something, the heroine took it upon her to break the ice, kneeling in front of her.

"So… your name is Manon, huh?" -Ladybug asked her, to which Manon waved here head silently. –"Well, then don't be afraid. I don't bite." -she smiled. –"How old are you, Manon?"

"I-I'm… I'm 7 years old." -Manon answered her, shyly.

"7? Well, then you are already a big girl. I bet you weren't scared of the akuma I was fighting." -Ladybug told her, tying to make her smile.

"A-A little." -Manon answered, once more with a shy voice. The scarlet heroine could hardly believe that was the same little girl she babysat, always hyperactive, now as shy as a turtle hiding in her shell.

"Well, it's okay to be afraid, Manon." -the heroine caressed the little girl's face with her fingertips, making her smile. –"You want to know a secret?" -she asked her, and Manon waved her head. –"I'm usually afraid of all the monsters that I face, but I don't let that stop me, you know why? Because I've got friends who are always there for me. I bet you also have friends like that don't you?"

"Y-Yes, a few." -Manon answered her.

"Then, make sure to always treat them right." -Ladybug told her, as she got back up. -"Well, I must be going now. It was nice to see you again, Alya. And it was also nice to meet you, Manon." -she smiled at the little one. –"I'll be seeing you."

"Wait!" -Manon exclaimed, as Ladybug was about to use her yo-yo to swing out of there. –"Could I… I mean… Can I take a picture with you, please?"

It was so rare to see Manon asking for something, and using the word "please" that Ladybug became shocked for a brief second. Still, after the initial shock, she smiled kindly and said that she would be delighted. Alya grabbed her cell phone, and telling them to be still, snapped a couple of photos between Manon and the scarlet heroine. Thanking her for the photos, Manon gave her a big hug, and then watched as Ladybug disappeared in the rooftops of Paris.

"I don't know about you, but I think that you are the luckiest Ladybug fan in the world, right about now, huh, Manon?"

"Yes!" -Manon exclaimed, thrilled with what had happened. –"Too bad Marinette wasn't here. I bet she would have liked to see Ladybug again." -she said.

"I bet she would." -Alya lied, knowing that something like that would never happen. There was no way both Marinette and Ladybug would ever be seen together in the same place, because they were one and the same.

"Where do you think Marinette it, Alya?"

"I don't know. But you know how she is." -Alya smiled. –"She went to get help, but most likely, ended up losing her way here. Did you know that one time, she lost her way inside our school's library?" -she lied to Manon, who laughed. She was trying to gain her friend some time to come back, before Manon asked about her again –"Yeah, that's just how ditzy she is."

A few minutes later, Marinette showed up, breathless and tired. Though she was a little exhausted from all the fighting, she was mostly pretending she was more tired than she actually was, so Manon would not suspect a thing.

"Girl, where have you been?" -Alya asked her.

"I went looking for a police officer, and then I got lost." -Marinette said. –"But, what happened? Are you two alright?"

"We are, don't worry." -Alya winked at her.

"Ladybug showed up and saved the day with her friends. I took a photo with her, Marinette!" -Manon told her, happy with her achievement.

"Really?" -Marinette acted surprised. –"Can I see it?"


	14. Consequences

At night, when they got back from the carnival, both Marinette and Manon were exhausted. They never got to go to the circus because of what happened with Leprechaun, though Marinette and Alya promised Manon that they would attend it another time. To make up for it, Marinette won her a huge teddy bear, that she carried in her arms all the way home. She named it Winnie, because it was like Disney’s depiction of Winnie the Pooh. Still, even if she had not won her the teddy, Manon would not have been sad about not going to the circus. She had had not one, but multiple photos with her favourite heroine, ladybug, and she was anxious to show them to her friends at school the following morning. When she told Tom and Sabine what had happened, they could hardly believe her. It was not until she showed them the photos that they believed her. Sabine insisted on the two of them telling the whole story, so they would know what happened.

Upon telling them, Marinette and Manon left out that Marinette had lost herself, while looking for a police officer, leaving the little girl alone with Alya. In fact, it had been Manon who asked Marinette to do that, because she did not want the blue-haired girl to get into trouble. They also left out that Manon and Alya had been near the action, because they did not want to upset them. In the end, Tom and Sabine were told just half of the story, but it was the good half.

After dinner, Marinette went up to her room to get some rest, while Manon stayed in the living room, playing with Winnie, just before it was time to go to bed. Up in Marinette’s room, the blue-haired girl decided to relax a little, by watching funny videos on YouTube. After what happened that afternoon, she needed to do something that would make her forget just how tired she was. Leprechaun had made her sweat, and given her a couple of bruises, all over her body. As she changed clothes into her pyjamas and looked herself in the mirror, spotting the bruises, Marinette could not help but to thank God that they were in Autumn, and not in Summer anymore, because it would have been difficult to hide some of those bruises, if she were to wear t-shirts and shorts.  

“ _Whoever saw this, would probably think that mom and dad use me as a punching bag._ ” -she thought to herself, as she rubbed the sore areas. –“ _I really got to be more careful in the near future. It would be hard to explain how I got these, without revealing what I’ve been really up to these days._ ”

Before heading to her laptop to get some laughs, Marinette went to check on her kwami, Tikki, who was fast asleep. The little scarlet kwami was sleeping peacefully in the small wooden box Marinette had bought for her when they met. She had used pieces of fabric she had from other projects to line the box’s interior, and given her a little cushion, as well as a quilt for her to cover herself. Next to it was an empty plate, where previously had been a huge pile of cookies, as well as an empty glass of milk, that Marinette had brought her to eat. Being completely exhausted and famished from lending her powers to Marinette that afternoon, she ate the whole thing, not leaving a single crumb behind, before going to sleep. Looking at her sleeping so peacefully in her little bed, the blue-haired girl imagined what she would be dreaming right then.

“ _I do hope the dream you’re having is a nice one, Tikki. I’m sorry for today. It was supposed to be a day out for the two of us, and in the end, we ended up having to save Paris, once again._ ” -Marinette thought to herself. –“ _Still, I promise that this weekend, I’m going to find a way to repay you for lending me your powers again… maybe I’ll make you a giant cookie, with lots of chocolate chips and mini-marshmallows, just the way you like it._ ” -she kept musing to herself. –“ _In the meantime, sleep tight and try to get your strength back, my sweet kwami._ ”

Smiling, she leaned down and softly kissed her kwami goodnight. Upon feeling Marinette’s lips touching her, Tikki’s body shifted lightly to the left. Leaving her, Marinette went to her laptop, where she began watching funny videos. There were only three things in the world that could get her to feel more relaxed after a hard day, and those were one of her mom’s desserts, or a nice book, or a truck load of funny Internet videos, and on that day, she chose the videos. She had been watching videos for almost half an hour, when she noticed there was someone calling her on Facebook. Checking it, she saw it was Alya, who wanted to talk to her.

“Hey, girl” -Marinette read. -“Hey, what’s going on?” -she wrote.

It did not take long to Alya telling her that she was talking to the rest of the team on a secret online forum she had created just for when they needed to talk about superhero businesses. Inviting her to the forum, Marinette quickly accepted the invitation, and accessed it, where the others were waiting for her. They were talking about had happened that afternoon at the carnival, with most of the team writing why they could not help the ones who took care of Leprechaun.

“I’m sorry, but I had ballet practice.” -Rose wrote.

“And I had the cell phone turned off.” -Alix wrote.

The excuses were many, and pretty much every last one of them showed that when Leprechauns attacked, they would have not been able to help them. Still, it was up to Marinette to assure them that everything was alright.

“Don’t worry about it.” -Marinette wrote. –“Remember, we knew that sooner or later something like this would happen. It’s literally impossible for us all to be together in the same place, all the time. Like I said, it was bound to happen, and we’ve been practicing for such cases.” -she wrote.

“Still, you guys got lucky. From what I’ve read and saw on the forum, the five of you had a bit of trouble fighting this akuma.” -Max wrote.

“Yeah, Leprechaun was a bit hard to deal with at first, because of his powers that enabled him to control good and bad luck.” -Mylene wrote. –“Luckily, our fearless second-in-command was able to detect his weakness.” -she wrote, referring to Adrien, which earned the blond a bunch of emojis applauding him.

“Oh, come on, it wasn’t that big of a deal. I got lucky.” -Adrien wrote.

“Lucky or not, you were the one who found the way for us to put him out of commission.” -Ivan wrote.

“And if it hadn’t been for you, who knows, maybe that Leprechaun would still be out there, causing chaos and mayhem.” -Sabrina wrote. –“As I see it, you were the hero today.”

“He was, there’s no doubt about it.” -Chloé wrote.

“I second that.” -Marinette wrote. Adrien deserved that recognition.

“The only thing bad about today was that Reptile got away… again.” -Ivan wrote. –“I still can’t believe he ripped off his arm and got away.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll get him next time.” -Nino wrote.

“Nino’s right. We’ll get him, eventually. If not next time, then some other time. He can run, but he can’t hide forever.” -Alya wrote.

“Still, what I wouldn’t give to be a fly and be on Hawk Moth’s hideout, right about now, just to see that guy being punished.” -Kim wrote.

“After today’s fiasco, I wouldn’t be surprised if that psycho would torture him, just to teach him a lesson.” -Nathaniel wrote. 

“Yeah, well, too bad, because that’s not going to happen, anytime soon.” -Juleka wrote. –“Until we find Hawk Moth’s hideout, the chances of us finding him or his goons and see him punishing them are pretty slim, to say the least.”

“Yeah, but one day we’ll find it.” -Nino wrote.

“Either way, tell us once more how you guys defeated that crazy akuma.” -Chloé wrote.

“But you already heard it how we did it.” –Adrien wrote.

“Yeah, but it’s always nice to hear it once again, especially when it’s you telling the story, Adrikins.” -Chloé wrote, flirting a little with Adrien.

“Okay, but this time, I think Marinette should be the one telling. You know, for us to get a different perspective of what happened.” -Adrien wrote.

“That’s a great idea.” -Alya wrote. –“Come on, girl, tell us what happened from your perspective.”

“Alright…” -Marinette wrote.

* * *

While Marinette and the others talked about what had happened, somewhere else, someone was also discussing what happened, and that someone was Reptile, who was being punished by Hawk Moth. As he punished him, Reptile screamed in agony. The arm he had ripped to get away was still regenerating, and it was going to take longer than he wanted, because Hawk Moth was using his magic to rip the flesh of it, causing him extreme pain. Seconds looked hours, as Hawk Moth punished Reptile, who by now was becoming weaker and weaker. Every time he believed his master was going to stop, the villain would only make things even harder for him. He had been punished before by Hawk Moth, but never like this.

“I told you what would happen, if you failed me again, Reptile.” -Hawk Moth said with a cold and uncaring voice.

“M-Master… p-please, h-have mercy…” -Reptile begged him, as he tried not to think about the pain.

“Mercy?!” -Hawk Moth exclaimed. –“You expect me to be merciful towards someone who failed me?!!!” -he glared at him, just before he did the same thing he had done before. Hawk Moth was not going to let Reptile off the hook that easily. –“Mercy is for those who deserve it, and you… right now, you don’t even deserve the air you breathe, you pathetic excuse of an akuma!!!”

As he finished that sentence, the villain raised his cane and lightning came out of it, electrocuting Reptile, who felt the full force of the attack, as the electricity coursed through his body. There was the smell of burning flesh into the air, which now was stronger than the smell that existed in the sewers. It was going to take several days, if not weeks for that smell to disappear. Heaving painfully, Reptile begged for mercy once more, only to see his pleas for it denied by Hawk Moth.

“Ripping this arm off… let me ask you, why did you do it? Were you too afraid to face five of those infernal kids all by yourself? Five of them?!” -Hawk Moth asked him, as he stuck the tip of his cane on Reptile’s bloody arm. –“You should have stayed there and let them break every bone in your body… if you had done that, and then came crawling back here, maybe I would be merciful towards you…”

Hawk Moth had not finished his sentence, when he used his magic to twist Reptile’s arm, making him scream in agony, only to rip it off, causing him further pain. But this time, instead of ripping it from its elbow, he ripped the whole arm from his shoulder. Reptile was screaming in agony, as blood gushed from where his arm had been just a few seconds before, covering the chilling stone floor. Still, his screams did not make Hawk Moth feel sorry for him. The villain knew that that would not kill his lieutenant. As sadistic as he was, Hawk Moth took no pleasure in doing that. If instead of Reptile, one of the members of the Miraculous Team was the one being tortured, that would be another story. Still, he needed to show Reptile what happened when someone failed him, and that since he had failed him, he had to pay the price for his failure.

“You think that what you’re feeling is painful, but believe me, that when I’m through with your punishment, this pain you’re feeling, will look like the pain from a simple paper cut, compared to what is in store for you.” -Hawk Moth told him.

With that, he ripped off Reptile’s other arm. The screams of pain and suffering filled Hawk Moth’s hideout. If they were not that below in the ground, those very same screams would be heard on the surface. Still, the only ones who could hear them were the rats and cockroaches that lived in the sewers and Madame Romani, who feared that Hawk Moth would not settle for punishing Reptile for his failure, and decided to also punish her too. She too had been punished for her latest failure, but not the way Reptile was being punished right then. Every time the lizard man screamed in agony, his screams sent shivers up the gypsy’s spine, contributing to her fear of being next.

“ _The master is an awful mood tonight._ ” -Madame Romani thought to herself. –“ _I fear that he might not be satisfied with just punishing him, and decide to give me the same treatment… Christ!_ ” -she cowered in fear, as she heard one more of Reptile’s screams. –“ _I must find a way to get rid of those kids, once and for all, and it has to be fast, because Hawk Moth is growing impatient._ ”

It was going to be a long night for both Madame Romani and Reptile, but especially for Reptile, who was learning the hard way what it meant to fail his master.       

* * *

Though they had been victorious on their battle against the forces of evil, some of the members of the team were not so victorious when it came to their results in their Biology exam. As Miss Bustier handed them their exams with the tests, some were surprised by the grade they had, while others were not really surprised by them. Among those who were not surprised were Chloé and Marinette, who had both scored low grades. Marinette had an E-, while Chloé had an F+. With those results, the two girls knew there was only one thing left to do, and that was, writing a paper on the subject they had just failed.

“I told you I was going to fail.” -Marinette sighed, as she looked at her grade in bright red.

“So, you were right, big deal. At least you scored a better grade than Chloé did.” -Alya told her, trying to cheer her up a little.

“You know, at the time when she and I were bitter enemies, I would have felt better, knowing that I did better than she did… but now, I couldn’t feel better about myself, even if I wanted to.” -Marinette sulked. –“She’s my friend too, and I can’t feel better with myself, knowing she did even worse than I did.” -she said, as she looked at the blonde on the bottom row, who looked pretty lowdown right then.  

Alya giggled to herself, after hearing her friend say that. Even when there was a bitter hatred between her and the heiress, Marinette would never stay mad at her for more than two days. It was not in her nature to uphold grudges on someone, even if that someone was her bitterest and most hateful enemy.

“I know what you mean, and you’re right.” -Alya answered her. –“But, hey, you can bounce your grade back up with a paper as catch up work. You know Miss Bustier won’t say no to that, if you ask her nicely. I’ll even help you pick the theme and we can work on it this afternoon. That is, if you don’t have anything to do this afternoon.”

When she asked her that, Marinette wished she really had something to do that afternoon, just so she could get that bad grade out of her mind. Unfortunately, her afternoon plans were quite simple, stay home, drink tea and watch anime, and with that grade, she knew those plans were history. She was going to spend all afternoon working on her paper. For once, she wished they all had training, so she could let out some steam.  

“Nope, I don’t. What about you? If you have something to do, I can totally do this alone. Plus, I can always ask Tikki if she knows anything about Biology.” -Marinette answered her.

“Well, I had something planned with Nino for this afternoon, but we had to post-pone it.” -Alya told her. –“We were supposed to go to the movies, but he has to go to his grandmother’s house to help move some furniture into the attic.” -she said.

“Guess we’ll be stuck together this afternoon.” -Marinette smiled, already feeling a little bit better. –“So… do you have any ideas for my paper? Because I’ve got none, right now.” -she asked Alya, who giggled after hearing her.

As Marinette and Alya tried to figure out what theme the blue-haired girl should choose for her paper, on the bottom row of that classroom, Chloé was feeling miserable, and not even Sabrina was able to lift her spirits. She only had that grade because she completely forgot to write the exam day on her cell phone. If that had not happened, she would have known about it, and would have studied for it.

“Come on, now, Chloé, it’s not the end of the world.” –Sabrina tried to cheer her up.

“Maybe for you it isn’t, but it’s certainly for me!” -Chloé told her, as she looked at the big “F+” in her exam sheet. –“Daddy’s going to ground me until the end of the year.” -she sighed. –“And that means, no more credit cards, no more trips to the mall, and no more afternoons relaxing in the spa… and I really, really need those relaxing afternoons.”

Hearing her, Sabrina asked herself how Chloé could be so futile, but at the same time, she felt bad for her. That was just her way of saying that really messed up, and now had to either face the consequences for her acts, or find a way to correct what was wrong. And luckily for her, there was. A paper was just what she needed to improve her Biology grade.

“Don’t feel bad, Chloé. You’ll bounce back, you’ll see.” -Sabrina tried to cheer her up. –“Don’t tell your dad about this grade, at least, not until you write a paper as catch up work and give it to Miss Bustier.” -she said.

“But what I’m going to write about, Sabrina?” –Chloé asked her.

“I’ll help you choose the theme, and we’ll do the paper this afternoon.” -Sabrina told her. She had scored a B+ on the exam, so she was the right person for the job. –“If we work together, we can have it finished before dinner time.” -she said. –“Come on, Chloé, you know I hate to see you sad. Where’s that smile I like to see on your face?”

The way Sabrina said the last part, made Chloé giggle. The redhead was the only one who said that she liked Chloé’s smile. Only one other person had told her that, and that had been Kim, who tried to court her during the previous year, but she did not see him as boyfriend material, mainly because she was infatuated with Adrien; a little part of her still was, but she knew that his heart belonged to Marinette, even if he did not know it yet. Still, that did not prevent her from flirting occasionally with him. Turning to her, she gave her the smile she asked for.

“You really know just what to say the cheer me up, you know that, Sabrina?” -Chloé asked her.

* * *

While Miss Bustier’s class talked amongst themselves about the grades they scored in the Biology exam, at Manon’s school, the little toddler was the centre of attentions in her class, all because she had been bragging about how she had a photograph of her with Ladybug. Her classmates did not believe her at first, but when she showed them the photo in her cell phone, they had no reason to doubt her. She was usually forbidden to take her cell phone with her to school, because her mother believed that having it with her, could lead her to not focus in class, because Manon had the nasty habit of using it to play videogames like Candy Crush Saga. Still, she made an exception on that day, so she could show to her friends that she was not lying. As they looked at the photo, some of them wondered if the photo had not been photoshopped and was a fake. But most of them believed it to be the real deal.

“You actually took this photo yesterday?” -Damien asked her., as he looked at the photo.

“Yes. Ladybug had just defeated the akuma and then, she spotted a friend of mine, Alya, whom she knew and came to see if she was alright. That’s when I met her and I asked her if I could take a photo with her.” -Manon said, as she scrolled the various photos she had taken with the heroine.

“That is so cool!” -Madeline exclaimed. –“You’re so lucky, you got to meet he, Manon..”

“What is she like?” -Nicole asked her.

“Is she nice?” -Genevieve asked her.

“Is she even prettier than in the photos?” -Marie asked her.

“She is. She’s so pretty and nice, and she smells likes fresh-baked cookies, you know?” -Manon told them.    

“I wish I had been there to also take a photo with her.” -Monique said.

Hearing her friend, Manon had an idea, an idea that would not only make her the most popular girl in her class, but also help her friends to know Ladybug in person.

“If you want to, I can try and see if Ladybug can come to our school.” -Manon declared.

“What? How?” -all her friends exclaimed, their eyes staring at her, as if she had told them she knew a way they could get free candy.

“Remember when I told you that I was with a friend named Alya? Well, Alya is best friends with my babysitter, Marinette, who according to Ladybug herself, also knows her.” -Manon declared. –“I can try and ask her if she knows of a way to contact her and ask her to come here. That way, you can also meet her.” -she smiled, as she imagined her heroine showing up, right there on the playground, ready to take photos with her classmates and say just how happy she was to know them all.

“You can really do that?” -Madeline asked Manon.

“I said I can try. I won’t make promises, but I’ll definitely try to make that happen.” -Manon said, thinking that she might had to use her secret weapon to convince Marinette. No matter what, she had to convince her to contact Ladybug and get her to come to her school.

* * *

Alya and Marinette sat on the brunette’s bed, taking off their shoes and getting what they needed from their backpacks to start working on the improvement paper. Marinette had chosen to write about photosynthesis and what its role was in the life of every beings in urban centres. While they did that, Tikki and Trixx were both hanging out in the living room, watching television, so as to leave the girls to concentrate. The house was deserted, because Alya’s dad had gone to work and it was her mother’s day off, and she had taken the twins out for a walk, and would not be back until later in the afternoon. On the message, she had left Alya, she told her that she would bring dinner, and that she had not to worry about it. That meant that Alya could focus on helping Marinette turning that E- she had, into at least a C+, if not something a little higher. 

Going through the books and encyclopaedias she had at home, plus some websites she knew about, Alya helped Marinette gather all the things she needed to start working. As minutes turned to hours, the whole paper began to gain form, and would soon be finished. Writing and rewriting every sentence she felt needed a little more work, Marinette began to have a good feeling about that paper.   

“Thanks for helping me out, Alya.” -Marinette said, as she read the last paragraph she wrote. 

“Girl, you know that I’ll always help you whenever I can.” -Alya smiled at her. –“Besides, this way, we can always spend more time together.” -she said, making Marinette giggle.

“Believe me, I really appreciate what you’re doing for me.” -Marinette declared. –“At home, I probably wouldn’t have the time to do this in peace, with Manon always wanting me to play with her.” -she said.

“I believe you. Then again, you would probably find a way to entertain her, while you were working.” -Alya said. –“You really showed to have a lot more patience with Manon these last two days.”

“Well… Master Fu was right, you know? She acts up like that because her parents are always working and she’s got no one to praise her, to tell her that she shouldn’t do certain things… What I mean is, she’s just a little girl, and with the right attitude, I can get her to do anything.” -Marinette told Alya. –“I know just how bad that sounded, but believe me when I say that what I meant to say is, Manon can be handled quite nicely, as long as we have a little patience with her, and know how to talk with her.”

“I understand what you’re saying.” -Alya chuckled. –“And I’m happy that you are calmer and can handle Manon better, without getting yourself stressed.” -she declared.

“Tell me about it. I don’t know if it’s the fact that I’ve been battling psychos and monsters these past two months, but I don’t get so much stressed like I used to.” -Marinette told her.

“Well, becoming a superhero has its perks, including gaining a set of nerves of steel.” -Alya sighed.

“You okay, Alya?” -Marinette asked her, sensing there was something wrong in Alya’s voice.

“I’m just a little… nah, never mind.” -Alya told her, trying to ignore it.

“Come on, tell me. What’s going on?” -Marinette insisted. Whatever it was bothering her best friend, she wanted to know, and if possible, help her out.  

“Well, I’m just a little bummed out that I didn’t get to transform yesterday and help you guys battling that akuma.” -Alya sighed, feeling a little down.

“Oh, so that’s it.” -Marinette said, placing her arm around, Alya’s shoulders. –“Don’t worry, Alya. Rena Rogue will have the chance to have some fun, and I’m sure that Hawk Moth will make sure that happens soon.” -she cheered her up.

“You know me so well, you know that?” -Alya smiled. Her friend’s words had made her feel good about it, instantly.

“I do, don’t I?” -Marinette chuckled. –“Then again, you also know me too well, Alya.” -she said, as she let go of Alya and grabbed one of the books. –“Can’t believe that I still need at least two more pages to complete this paper.”

“Two pages are nothing, compared to the other eight you already have, and you’re not counting the introduction and the conclusion.” -Alya said. –“I’ll help you write the later if you want to?”

“Thanks.” -Marinette said, as she looked at the clock Alya had on her wall and saw the time. It was almost four in the afternoon, and they had not seen either Tikki or Trixx since they arrived. –“Hey, what are those two kwamis of ours doing?”

“Last I checked, they were both watching a movie. I think it was the second Pirates of the Caribbean.” -Alya told her.

“Dead Man’s Chest? It’s not exactly my favourite.” -Marinette said. –“I’m more of a fan of the Curse of the Black Pearl.” -she said.

“I liked both. The only one I can’t really like is On Stranger Tides, because when introduced the mermaids, they made them look like sirens, and you know that I’m a really big fan of mythology, so I can’t forgive them for doing that.” -Alya told her. –“I mean, is it too hard to understand that sirens and mermaids are two completely different things?!”

“I hear you, and you’re right.” -Marinette said. –“It’s one of those mistakes that Hollywood shouldn’t make.” -she said, as a smirk showed up on her face. –“But you know what? I don’t think that will stop those two from enjoying the movies.”

“Yeah… I don’t know about Tikki, but Trixx, every time she watches a movie or a series, she becomes mind-blowing with what she sees on television.”

“Oh, she’s just like that too. In fact, I think that most of the kwamis are still struggling a little to adapt to how the world changed, since they went to sleep several centuries ago.” -Marinette said.

“It can’t be easy for them. Can you imagine what it is to have lived for so long, seen so much, and then, go to sleep inside an object until you’re needed again, only to find out that the whole world you knew has changed, and everyone you knew has died?” -Alya asked her, imagining what Trixx and the other kwamis have gone through since they were created.    

“Luckily, they have us to help them out.” -Marinette said. –“They help us by lending us their powers and abilities, we help them by aiding them to understand today’s world.” -she declared. –“It’s the least we can do for them. They are not just our kwamis, they are our friends, and our guides in this journey that we are undertaking. We don’t know how long out battle against Hawk Moth will take. It can take months or it might even take decades until we defeat him and his goons, and until that happens, they are stuck to us, as we are stuck to them. We have to guarantee that they are happy with us, as we are happy to have them around.”

“Whoa… for a second there, you sounded just like you always do, whenever you put on your Ladybug mask.” -Alya smiled.

“You really think so?” -Marinette asked her.

“I know so.” -Alya said. –“You don’t need the mask to show that side of yours, Marinette. I already told you this, and Tikki did the same I’m sure, you and Ladybug are the same person. The only difference is that you don’t wear a mask, and she does. That’s the only real difference, because with or without it, you’re one awesome girl, and fantastic leader.” -she winked at her.

“Geez, Alya, don’t say that, you’re making me blush.” -Marinette giggled, as she blushed lightly.

“Alright, alright, I’ll stop.” -Alya said. –“Still, you know I’m right.”

“Yeah, I do.” -Marinette smiled. –“But leave the praising to another time. We’ve got to finish this.”

“You’re just saying that because you want to try a slice of my mom’s world-famous lemon pie, that you saw when you arrived.” -Alya giggled. She knew just how good her mom’s pie was, and above all, she knew how much Marinette liked it.

“Busted.” -Marinette laughed. –“And yeah, I really want to. It’s the only dessert your mom is able to do better than my folks.” -she admitted. Her parents’ lemon pie was delicious, but it paled in comparison to the one Alya’s mom made.  

* * *

Just like Alya was helping Marinette getting her grade back up, Sabrina was doing the same with Chloé. Cooped up in Chloé’s room in Le Grand Paris hotel, the girls had been working since they arrived from school. Aside from stopping for a couple of minutes to eat something Chloé ordered from room service. Since they did not want to stay cooped up with their holders the rest of the afternoon, Mika and Pollen decided to go out into the hotel’s rooftop and enjoy the few rays of sun that managed to pass through the white clouds. While up there, the two kwamis also took the chance to enjoy the fantastic view they had over the Seine.

“Those two should be out here enjoying this view, instead of cooped up in that room.” -Mika said, as he breathed in the fresh Autumn Parisian air.

“They can’t, and you know it. Chloé needs to get a better grade in Biology, and Sabrina is helping her.” -Pollen told him.

“Who cares about that? It’s not like one grade is going to decide the rest of her life.” -Mika said.

“Maybe not, but it could decide whether Chloé is allowed to go out after school, by her dad.” -Pollen defended her. –“Her dad may not show it, but he expects Chloé to succeed in everything. And that is a lot of pressure to her. I should know, because I’m the one she comes to talk with, other than Sabrina.”

“Okay, I get it, I get it. But, they could still take a break. It wouldn’t hurt them to come up here and just look at all of this.” -Mika said, as he pointed to the Parisian horizon. -“Don’t tell me you prefer to see them cooped up in there, when they could be out here, enjoying this day?”

“Of course, I would like to see them here, but what they’re doing is also very important, so, enough with Carpe Diem, alright?” -Pollen told Mika, already slightly annoyed with that conversation. –“Just let them do that, so Chloé can get a better grade and stay out of trouble.”

“Alright, alright, I won’t say another word.” -Mika told the bee kwami, as he kept looking at the cars moving downstairs, as well as the people walking on the sidewalks.

Back in Chloé’s room, both she and Sabrina kept working on her paper. At first, Chloé tried to convince Sabrina to do it for her, but the redhead told her she was not going to do it. She told Chloé that she had to do it herself, and that she was going to help her, but she would not do her work for her. Resigning herself, she began to work on the paper, hoping that it would be enough to get her grade in Biology up. As she wrote it, Sabrina searched on the Internet for more websites on the theme they had both chosen, so Chloé could use the info in them.

“Oh, I think this one here is good, Chloé. You can use this paragraph for the introduction.” -Sabrina said, as she showed her what she had found. But Chloé did not say a word. She kept staring at the sheet she was writing in, so focused on what she was doing, she did not heard Sabrina talking to her. –“Chloé! Chloé! Chloé!!!! Chloé, wake up!!!!” -the redhead screamed, bringing Chloé back to Earth.  

“W-What?!” -Chloé shouted at the redhead.

“Were you even listening to me?” -Sabrina asked her.

“No! No, I wasn’t! I was focused on this, you dimwit!” -Chloé screamed at Sabrina. She was not going to admit it, but she was scared, she was not going to be able to finish that paper on time, and that it would not be good enough for Miss Bustier to raise her grade.

But, it did not take Sabrina more than a second to realize her friend was not well. She knew Chloé better than she knew herself, and she knew that from the way she yelled at her, not to mention the way she stared at her, that something was not right. Chloé was many things, but she was not nasty to other people; not since she had decided to become a better person. Sabrina looked her in the eyes, and she saw one thing... fear. Chloé was scared, and that fear was manifesting itself, by making her revert to her old personality.      

“Chloé, this isn’t you talking.” -Sabrina told her with a calm and serene voice. –“You’re not like this… please, don’t talk, let me finish.” -she said, when Chloé tried to talk. –“You’re not like this, and I know that, because you’re my friend. And as your friend, I know that something isn’t right with you, right about now. You’re scared, aren’t you?”

“Y-Yes…” -Chloé’s face changed, as a couple of tears rolled down.

“Why?”

“I-I’m scared that I won’t be able to finish this on time, or that… or that it isn’t good enough for Miss Bustier to give me a better grade…” -Chloé said. –“I-I’m afraid what might happen if my dad finds out about this… he’ll ground me…”

“Chloé, that’s not going to happen!” -Sabrina told her with a determined voice, as she placed her hands over the blonde’s shoulders. –“And you know why? Because I know you, and I know just how smart you are. You got a bad grade not because you didn’t know the matter, but because you didn’t study for it.” -she said, never taking her eyes off hers. –“I know you’re scared of what might happen if your dad finds out, but that’s not going to happen. And you know why? Because you’re going to write the best Biology paper ever, and you’re going to give it tomorrow to Miss Bustier and she’s going to raise your grade, thanks to it. And I’m going to help you do it, so, please, don’t be scared anymore.”

The way Sabrina talked to her, amazed Chloé. Sabrina used to be so shy and mousy, always afraid to say what she was feeling, what she believed in. But, ever since she had been given the wolf miraculous, she had become braver and more courageous, not afraid to let herself be heard. And that was exactly what she was doing, by telling her what she needed to hear. Jubilant, a tearful smile showed up on her face, as she hugged Sabrina, feeling the redhead’s heart beat against her chest, as Sabrina hugged her back.

“Thank you, Sabrina.” -Chloé said, as another tear rolled down her face. –“I really needed to hear that.” -she said, as she tightened her arms around the redhead’s figure.

“Don’t mention it, Chloé. Don’t mention it.” -Sabrina smiled.


	15. Something Must Be Done

Rose had just finished ballet practice, and she was exhausted. Hitting the showers, she let the cool water do its magic, relaxing her tensed muscles. It had been a hellish practice, and she would be lying if she did not admit that most of the joints in her legs hurt. Still, the warm water helped ease the pain a little, as it relieved her of the tension. Closing her eyes for a moment, she heard the other girls talking between them. They were talking about what they were going to do on that weekend. One of them was going to the movies, while the other was going to stay home and watch a television series she was obsessed with. One of the others said that she was going to visit her grandparents in Toulouse, while the other said she was going out with her boyfriend. She heard her describe just how awesome he was, and Rose found herself thinking about the one person she knew was the most awesome person in the world to her, Juleka. A smile showed up on her face, as she pictured Juleka waving at her and smiling the way she always did, in a shy and particularly mysterious way. But that image was shattered, when Rose heard someone calling her.

"Hey, Rose?! The girls are thinking to go out and eat something. You want to come? We can wait for you."

"Uh, thanks, but I'll have to pass. I've got to go home and finish studying for an exam tomorrow." -Rose lied. She was not in the mood for going out. –"But thanks for inviting me." -she said, as she turned off the water and grabbed her towel, wrapping it around her.

"It's okay, maybe next time, then." -the girl said. –"See you next time."

"See you!" -Rose waved at her.

When the last of the girls exited the door, Rose saw herself alone in the balneary. Not that she minded, because she wanted to be alone with her thoughts. Thinking about Juleka had made her feel depressed. As she dried her hair, she began to wonder for the umpteenth time if she had done the right thing by ignoring her true feeling for the Goth girl. And more and more, the answer became as clear as daylight; she should not have ignored her feelings for her, and now, that was slowly killing her. Rose had just put on her t-shirt, when Flint, her kwami jumped out of her backpack. He had been waiting for the place to be deserted, as well as seeing if someone entered, before jumping out to talk to her.

"Kiddo! What's going on?" -Flint asked her –"Come on, you look like someone bought the last pony plushie there was in a store, just before you arrived." -the flamingo kwami told her, before realizing what was really going on. –"You're thinking about her, aren't you?"

"Even if I don't want to… I'm always thinking about her, Flint. I know this sound like a cheesy song but, Juleka is always on my mind." –Rose sighed, as she tried not to cry.

There was silence. Flint, who loved to talk and had always a joke on the tip of his tongue, did not utter a single word. He knew the subject was too serious for jokes and gags. It was times like this that he would show his more serious side. Sensing that Rose really needed her spirits lifted, he decided to say something.

"Rose, you can't keep doing this to yourself." -Flint told her, as he landed on top of her gym bag. –"You've got to tell her the truth, or it will consume you form the inside."

"I can't, Flint. I want to, but I can't… what if Juleka thinks that I'm a freak? What if she rejects me and never wants to see me again?!" -Rose exclaimed, as her brain examined all the ways revealing her true feelings to Juleka, could go wrong.

"And, what if she doesn't think you're a freak? What if she accepts you for what you are, and is okay with it? What if, she herself has feelings for you?" -Flint asked her, already knowing the truth. –"You won't know what will happen, unless you try it."

Rose knew her kwami was right, but still, something inside her mind was whispering to her that telling Juleka about her true feelings, would be the worst idea ever. Her brain and her heart were fighting against one another, and right then, the brain had the upper hand on that fight.

"I know that, Flint." -Rose sighed, as she put her socks on. –"But, I don't…"

"You don't want to ruin your friendship with her, I get it."

"It's not just our friendship, Flint. It's everything… we're friends, and now with us being superheroes, we're also partners. If things go south, she might not even be able to look me in the face again. How are we supposed to work together, if we stop talking to one another?" -Rose asked her kwami.

The blonde was making a rational point. If things did go south, the whole team's mechanic would be at risk. Still, he knew that would not happen, because Juleka secretly loved Rose, just as much as Rose loved her. The problem for him was, how was he going to tell her that, without revealing the truth?

"Kiddo… look, you know me, I'm usually the one kwami that is always ready to make you laugh, and crack jokes to make it easier for you to relax and all." -Flint told Rose with a serious voice, as he hovered in front of her. –"But, when I have to be serious, I am serious, and right now, I'm being as serious as I can." -he stared in the eyes. –"And, you've got to tell Juleka what you really feel for her. Otherwise, it will kill you. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually…"

He did not have to finish the sentence for Rose to understand what he was telling her. She knew he was right. If she did not tell her what she was feeling, those very same feelings would end up hurting her, or worse.

"Juleka is your best friend. You told me that you know her better than anyone else." -Flint told her, insisting on the matter. He wanted her to understand that if she did not tell Juleka how she felt about her, something bad could, and would most likely happen. And to do that, he was making use of some tricks he and the other kwamis had been using to convince their holders to do something, even when they felt they could not do. –"Do you really think, that even if she tells you that she doesn't like you the same way you like her, that she would hate you? That she would never look you in the eyes again? And be honest when you answer that." -he told Rose.

Looking deep inside her heart, Rose knew that Juleka was many things; lovable, shy, cute, kind, gentle… but there was one thing that Juleka was not. She was not homophobic, not in the slightest. She would usually feel disgusted by those who were either homophobic or racist, not understanding how anyone could be one of those things. And then, it hit her. That was the answer she needed to hear. Juleka would never look at her or treat her differently, is she confessed her true feelings for her. Rose cursed herself for not thinking about that earlier.

"No, she wouldn't. She would look me in the eyes the same way she does know, and she would still be my best friend." -Rose admitted.

"Then, what are you waiting for? Call her and tell her what you

"No." -Rose said bluntly. –"I can't…"

"But you just said…" -Flint said.

"I mean, I can't tell her this by phone, Flint. It's… it's something too important, too private to do it by phone." -Rose said. –"If I'm going to tell her, it has to be in person, and on the right moment." -she declared. Now more than ever, she was determined to tell Juleka her true feelings for her, no matter the outcome.

"Then, when are you going to do it?" -Flint asked her.

"I don't know yet. But I know one thing. I'm not afraid to tell her this anymore, and it's all because of you." -Rose smiled at her kwami, as she gently placed her hands around the kwami's pink body, letting him sit on them. –"You're the best kwami a girl like me could have asked for, you know that?" -she said, as a small tear of happiness ran down her face.

All that talk made flamingo kwami shed a small tear too. Flint had had more holders than he could remember, but Rose had been the first one to make him cry. He could not tell just how proud he was of her, for finally realizing what she had to do.

"Great… now you made me cry too. Happy?" -Flint asked sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.

"Very happy, you silly kwami, you." -Rose said, as she tried to hold her tears.

Before Flint could say anything else, there was a knock on the balneary door, which made him disappear out of sight, and into the backpack, leaving Rose alone. A voice asked if there was someone inside. It was one of the school's janitors, probably coming to see if it was okay to come in and start cleaning up the place.

"I'll be out in two minutes." -Rose said, as she hurried up getting dressed.

* * *

Juleka had been listening to some of her favourite songs for about an hour now. While doing it, she held a picture in her hands. It was a photo of her and Rose. If one would try to find photos of Juleka, that person would be sadly disappointed, because there were very few of them. Being incredibly shy, Juleka would not let anyone take her a photo. The only photos her in that house were either school pictures, or photos taken by her parents when she was younger.

The only time when she was not shy for the cameras was when she transformed into Corbeau Noire. While wearing that mask and that outfit, the Goth girl felt like she could anything, including posing for a camera. She did not why, but wearing her superhero outfit, made something inside her crave for attention, something she did not do in her everyday life. Rose was the only one who would convince her to pose for the camera, and that made that photo ever so much special. It has been taken earlier that year during a school trip to the planetarium. The Goth girl remembered like it had been the day before. Rose had a huge amount of trouble convincing her to take a photo with her, with a model-scale replica of Saturn in the background. She placed the camera with a timer and had to run so she would show up on the photo. She ended up tripping and Juleka had to help her up. When the camera went off, the brunette was still helping the blonde up. When they saw the photo, it was nothing like either one of them imagined it would end up, when Rose convinced Juleka to pose for it. Still, it was a pretty photo, and they decided to keep it. It was a special photo, and if she had to name it, Juleka would name it "Friendship".

The song that had been playing was coming to an end, and it was time to choose another. Since Juleka was so entertained looking at the photo, Tamara decided to do it for her. Going through the list, she chose a song that both her and Juleka were fond of, My Immoral from Evanescence. It was a song that transmitted them happiness and sadness at the same time. No matter how many times they heard it, it always felt like they were hearing it for the very first time. Pushing the button, she waited for the song to begin, before heading back to Juleka's bed, where the Goth girl was lying on her back, never taking her eyes off the photo, not even for a second.

"Aren't you going to ask me how much more I'll keep staring at this photo?" -Juleka asked Tamara, as the raven kwami cuddled on a nearby pillow.

"No." -Tamara answered her in a whisper. –"I think you'll stop staring at it, when you feel like you have stared at it long enough." -the raven kwami smiled at Juleka.

"Then, I think that will never happen…" -Juleka sighed. The more she stared at the framed photo, the more she wanted Rose to be there with her.

"Juleka… you've got to tell her about your feelings for her." -Tamara said, as she closed in on her. –"It's not healthy to keep those things to yourself, and you know it."

Of course, she knew it. The Goth girl knew that keeping the way she felt about Rose to herself was not healthy at all. Every minute that went by, it felt like she was being consumed by some ravenous monster that was slowly eating her from the inside. Still, she did not feel prepared to her the truth. She feared what might happen if she did, and the last thing she wanted was to lose her friendship.

"I can't risk it, Tamara." -Juleka sighed. –"I can't risk my friendship with Rose, just because of my love for her." -she said. –"I even tremble with the thought of her not understanding my feelings for her, or worst yet, accepting them. I'm afraid that she might never want to speak to me again, or worst yet, look me in the eyes and call me a freak."

She feared her best friend calling her a freak, but worst of all, she feared that she would never speak to her again, once the truth was out. All those thoughts caused Juleka's heart to tremble. Knowing that would not happen, Tamara felt that it was time for her to help Juleka the right path.

"Do you really believe that? Do you really think Rose would treat you badly, just because you tell her how you really feel about her?" -Tamara asked her. –"You are always saying Rose is your best friend and that you know her better than she knows herself. Given that, do you really believe that she will do any of those things to you, if you tell her the truth?" -she asked her, in all seriousness.

The words that Tamara spoke echoed in her head, making her question what she herself had said before. Would Rose stop talking to her, or decide to never look her in the eyes again, just because she confessed her true feelings? Knowing just how Rose was and she thought, Juleka realized that that would never happen. The only place it would happen was in her imagination.

"No. Rose… Rose is too nice to do that." -Juleka said. –"If there's one person in this world who doesn't have a single speck of evil in her heart, it's Rose." -she declared, while holding her tears. –"If there's a person out there who should be called an angel for the way she is, and the way she acts, it's her… she's my angel. My pink, graceful and beautiful flamingo angel…"

And with that said, Juleka could not hold her tears any longer. She began to cry, smudging her make-up, her cries muffled by the music. It had taken her this long to realize what a fool she had been. As the tears ran down her face, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her chest. For the first time, since she realized what she was feeling for Rose, Juleka could see the whole picture and what she had to do, so the ending would be the one she wanted to happen.

"So, what are you going to do now?" -Tamara asked her.

"I-I'm going to tell her the truth, Tamara." -Juleka sobbed, as she wiped her tears. –"That's what I'm going to do.. what I should have done the moment I knew I was in love with her." -she declared.

"Good." -Tamara said. –"Then, grab your cell phone and tell her."

"No." -Juleka said. –"Not like that. What I'm going to say to her is too important to be said on the phone." -she said. –"I'm going to plan this and I'm going to tell her that I love her, when the time is right."

"And when will that be?" -Tamara asked her.

"Soon… very soon." -Juleka declared. –"After all, whatever the outcome is, I'm not afraid anymore. Even if she doesn't love me the same way I do, I know we'll always be the best of friends." -she sighed.

* * *

When Marinette arrived home, her father was closing the bakery and her mother was getting ready to make dinner, with a little help from Manon, who wanted to help Sabine cooking. Entering home, the first thing the blue-haired girl did, after dropping her backpack at the door, was to go check on her mom, who at the time was in the kitchen.

"Hey, mom!" -Marinette said, as she approached Sabine and kissed her on the face.

"Hello, honey." -Sabine said. –"So, did you and Alya had fun window shopping today?" -she asked her. Marinette had lied to her about what she was going to do that afternoon. She was not going to tell her parents about her grade in Biology, at least, not until Miss Bustier evaluated the paper she and Alya had been working all afternoon. Once she had the final grade, which hopefully would be better than the one she presently had, she would tell her about that previous grade.

"Oh, yes. Alya and I had lots of fun. After the morning we had, we needed to have some fun." -Marinette lied, as she looked to the side and saw Manon placing the bread Sabine had brought with her in a basket. –"Oh, Manon, I didn't even see you there." -she giggled. –"What are you doing?"

"I'm helping making dinner." -Manon smiled.

"She asked me if she could help out with dinner, so, I asked her to help me a little." -Sabine chuckled. –"Okay, Manon, I think we already have enough bread. You can set it aside and grab me the bottle of tomato paste that's in the fridge, sweetie." -she asked the little toddler. –"But be careful. Don't drop it, okay?"

"Okay." -Manon said, as she went to the fridge, and carefully grabbed the bottle.

"Tomato paste? Are you cooking what I think you're cooking?" -Marinette asked her mother.

"Yes. We're having one of your father's favourite dishes tonight, ratatouille." -Sabine said, as she tasted the zucchinis that had been simmering for a little while now. –"Hmm… it needs a little more salt."

Just listening to its name, Marinette became even hungrier than she already was. The slice of pie she ate at Alya's had opened her appetite, and knowing that they were having ratatouille for dinner, made her wish it was already dinner time.

"It smells delicious." -she said, as she smelled it.

"And I know just how much you like it. You're just like your father, Marinette." -Sabine chuckled, as she placed the bell peppers in the pan. –"Would you mind do me a favour? Could you help Manon set the table, after you wash your hands, sweetie?"

"Sure, mom." -Marinette said. –"Come on, Manon. Let's go wash our hands."

"Okay." -the little toddler said, following her.

* * *

After dinner, Marinette went to her room, where Tikki was waiting for her. She felt like her stomach was going to burst, because of what she ate at dinner. Her mother's ratatouille was delicious, as always, and Marinette ate more than her share. She was sure she was going to get a stomach ache, but she did not care. After the day she had, she felt she was entitled to eat something delicious without any regrets, before going to bed.

"Pardon me." -Marinette said, after she burped.

"Looks like dinner was to your liking." -Tikki smiled.

"You can say that again, Tikki. My mom makes the best ratatouille in the city, if not in the whole country."

"I can imagine." -Tikki giggled. –"So, tell me, you and Alya managed to finish that paper?" -she asked. The little scarlet kwami had fallen asleep watching television at Alya's, along with Trixx, and only woke up when Marinette took her out of her backpack, when they arrived home.

"We did it. It wasn't easy, but it's done." -Marinette said, as she sat on her arm-chair, starting to feel the first symptoms of her gluttony, laziness. –"I do believe that I might get a C+ or a B- with that paper, Tikki." -she admitted.

"I'm happy for you, and I'm crossing my fingers for good luck."

"I don't think you need to do that, Tikki. After all, you are the good luck kwami." -Marinette joked.

"I know, but it never hurt to do that, so good luck comes around even faster." –Tikki smiled.

Their conversation was cut short, when they heard someone knocking at the door. Tikki quickly disappeared out of sight, hiding under Marinette's bed, as the blue-haired girl asked who it was. Turned out, it was Manon, who asked if she could enter, to which Marinette told her she could. Gently, the little toddler opened the door and entered. Something told Marinette that the little girl was up to something, as she approached her. During dinner she was always looking at her, and when Marinette looked back at her, she would just turn her eyes the other way.

"Marinette…" -Manon said.

"What is it, Manon?" -Marinette asked her, always with a smile on her face. –"I bet she's here to ask me if she can take one of my dollies to play with, and to to sleep with. She has been eyeing one or two of them for the past couple of days." -she thought, as she looked at some dolls she had up in one of her bookcases. Manon had been eyeing them, and had even asked her if she could play with them once, but she told her no, because they were very fragile.

"Marinette… you… you and Alya are friends with Ladybug, right?" -the little toddler asked her.

"Yes. I mean, we've interviewed her and her friends once." -Marinette answered, not knowing why she was asking her that. –"Why do you ask?"

"Well… I was wondering, if you…" -Manon hesitated.

"If I what, Manon?" -Marinette asked her, insisting that she would tell her what was going on.

"If you could… you know… ask her to come to my school?" -Manon asked her, with a sheepish smile on her face.

"I could what?" -Marinette asked her, surprised with what she had said.

Manon quickly told her what had happened at school that day, when she showed her friends the photos she had taken with Ladybug, and how that had led her to promise that she was going to try and find a way for the heroine to go to her school, so her friends and the rest of the students could meet the leader of the Miraculous Team, and perhaps, even some of the other heroes, if they were willing to accompany her. As she heard it, Marinette could not help but to feel both happy and mad at the same time. She was happy that Manon felt that her friends should also get the chance of meeting the heroes, so they would share the same joy she had when she met Ladybug. But, she was also mad because she promised her friends something that she would not be able to keep. Still, being just a kid, she believed that because Marinette knew Ladybug, she could help her keep the promise she made to her friends.

"Can you Marinette? Can you try and get Ladybug to come to my school, please?" -Manon asked her, as she did her baby doll eyes.

Marinette did not know what to answer her. Part of her wanted to say yes right there, but the other part told her not to answer right away, because what Manon was asking her to do had to be well thought. If it was only Ladybug she was asking to come to her school it would be one thing, but given that Manon also asked if she could contact Ladybug and ask her to go to her school, along with a few other members of the Miraculous Team, she would have to talk with the others to see who would be willing to accompany her.

"Well, I can try." -Marinette told her. –"But, Manon, I don't know when that might happen." -she stated. –"First, I've to find a way to contact Ladybug, and that could take a while. But, I promise you, I'll do everything in my power to try and contact her, and ask her if she and the others can visit your school."

"You promise?"

"Yes, I promise, Manon." -Marinette smiled.

"Thank you, Marinette, thank you!" -Manon jumped into the girl's arms, hugging her.

"My pleasure, Manon." -Marinette said. –"Now, all I have to do is find out if the rest of the gang wants to come with me, or not." -she thought to herself.

* * *

Deep underground, in Hawk Moth's lair, things were calm. The villain had retreated to his inner chamber to meditate, and he was going to stay there for a while. The only sound you heard was the sound of someone hurting. And that someone was Reptile, who had retreated to a dark corner of the lair to tend to his wounds. Though his regenerative powers enabled him to heal faster than a normal human, as well as regrow limbs, it did not mean the process of healing would be painless. Hawk Moth had done quite the number on him, when he punished him for his latest failure. The lizard man suffered a punishment so awful that it would take him months, if not years to forget what happened to him. Still, the punishment served its purpose. He would think twice before running away from a fight from then on.

"Ouch… what I wouldn't do for some painkillers right now." -Reptile said, as he looked at his left arm that was still growing back. His right one had already grow back to its original size, but it was still fleshy. It would take a few more hours for the skin to grow back, returning to its usual appearance.

He heard a giggle coming from nearby. He knew that that giggle could have only come from a person, Madame Romani. She was probably there to mock him for having been punished by their master, or so he thought. He tried to see where she was, by hearing her giggle, but the darkness prevented him from seeing her. Of all the powers he had, the one he needed the most, seeing in the dark, was the he did not have.

"Show yourself!" –Reptile screamed at Madame Romani, knowing she was nearby. –"Stop playing these games!" -he screamed once more, trying to ignore the pain, when he turned to the right and saw her staring at him, having appeared out of nowhere. –"Jesus!"

"What's the matter? Jumpy?" -Madame Romani giggled with her nagging voice, as she took a good look at him. –"I say, the master really did a quite the job when he tortured you. You look like yesterday's garbage." -she cackled

"Watch what you say!" -Reptile spat at her. He was not going to let her laugh at him. Just having her mock, him, was enough to make him feel even more hatred towards her. -"What do you want?"

"Nothing… I'm just here to check up on you." -Romani said. –"You must be really sore, after what the master did to you."

"That's none of your business, you wench!" -he glared at her, as he tried his best not to show just how hurt and in pain he was. –"Besides, don't you have anything else to do, like, trying to find a new target?"

"Oh, I'm going, don't worry. Where you failed, I'll succeed." -Madame Romani smirked at him.

"Good, because unlike me, your arms and legs don't grow back!" -Reptile said, as he involuntarily moved his left arm, and a pain made him grit his teeth.

"Just hurry and get back to normal fast, because the master won't keep you around, if you're useless." -Madame Romani laughed, as she walked away, leaving Reptile to grumble to himself on what she said.

Of course, all that laughter and the superiority act was just a façade Madame Romani was putting up for Reptile. The truth was she was terrified by the possibility of failing Hawk Moth. He had never been that harsh on the punishments he handed to Reptile and her, and that could only mean one thing. If she failed him, Hawk Moth would certainly give her a terrifying punishment. That was just one more reason for her to focus on her goal, to find a new target for akumatization. As she walked out of the lair, she knew that failure was not an option.


	16. An Afternoon at the Zoo

Two days went by after Manon begged Marinette to find a way to contact Ladybug and ask her to come to her school, so her friends could meet her. The leader of the Miraculous Team talked to the rest of the team and told them the whole thing. Without hesitating, they all agreed that they would help her making that request a reality. The problem was that over the next couple of days it would be impossible for them to attend their usual training altogether, much less show up at the same time in Manon's school. With each one of them having a different extra-curricular activity, or being forced to help at home or doing some errand, it was going to be a difficult task. After talking among themselves, they all agreed that they would do it the following week, on a day they were all present for their superhero training.

"It's my fault, I should have resisted the urge of checking up on you and Manon after the battle." -Marinette declared to Alya, as the two of them along with Nino, Kim and Alix sat in the school's entrance, waiting for the bell to go off.

"It's not just your fault. I should've never told Manon that you and I knew Ladybug. If I hadn't told her that…" -Alya told her, blaming herself too for what happened.

"Forget about it. None of us really imagined that Manon would ask me something like that." -Marinette said.

"She's right, it's no one's fault, babe." -Nino smiled at Alya, as he wrapped his left arm around her shoulders. –"Besides, where's the harm in fulfilling a little girl's wish?" -he asked her.

"He's right. Besides, if we didn't supposedly know Ladybug, fulfilling that wish would be a lot harder." -Marinette smiled. –"All we have to do is show up, take a couple of photos with her friends, maybe answer a couple of questions they might have for us, and that's that." -she declared with a self-assured voice.

"Yeah, but that will be harder than it sounds… between superhero training, extra-curricular activities and a couple of other things, it might be hard to do that." -Kim said. –"Did you know that Adrien began to have fencing lessons this week?"

"Yeah, he told me the other day." -Marinette said, as she imagined Adrien holding a fencing sword, while wearing a a tight white suit. It did not take more than 2 seconds for that image to be replaced by another, where Adrien was wearing an 19th century nobleman suit, like the one Arsène Lupin was usually depicted, holding a beautiful swordstick in his hand. Needless to say, that Alya had snap her back to reality, by slapping her on the back of the neck. –"Ouch, that hurt, Alya!"

"Sorry, but if you saw the face you were doing, you would have asked me to bring you back to Earth like that." -Alya smirked, knowing that her mind had once again flew somewhere else.

"Thanks… I guess." -Marinette thanked her, as she rubbed the back of her neck, where Alya had hit her. –"Anyways, you're right. It's getting a little complicated for us to get together these days." -she said, knowing that that would be temporary. It was just a matter of time, until they could all get used to their new routines.

"We'll make time." -Alix declared. –"But let's change the subject, do you remember what Master Fu told us the last time we trained in the Garden?"

"I do." -Marinette answered. –"He said that the next time we trained there, we would have something that would make the training more difficult." -she said, wondering how would he make their training even more difficult than it already was?

"Well, I don't know how he can make things even more difficult. I don't know about you, but I personally don't see how things can get even more difficult than they already are." -Alya declared. –"Between everything that he threw at us during practice, what could he possibly have set for us?"

"Oh, trust me… if Master Fu told you that, then whatever he has set for you, it's bound to be good." -Trixx said, as she peaked out of Alya's backpack. For some reason, Alya and the others did not like the way the fox kwami said that, but before they could ask her anything else, the bell rang.

The answer to that question was answered the moment they all showed up for practice that afternoon… blindfolds. When looking at them, they all wondered why Master Fu was holding them in his hand. He told them that now that they already knew most of their powers and how to use them, it was time for them to begin to use them just by instinct. The old master told them that though they had performed impressively until that point, it was not enough. He said that there would be times when they would not be able to trust their own eyes, and would have to make use not only of their instinct, but also their other senses. Chat had already begun to make use of this kind of training, when he went up against Leprechaun inside the funhouse. Of course, that was just for a couple of minutes. Master Fu intended him and the others to make use of such ability for far longer than that, and under different circumstances.

Blindfolded, they all tried to fight one another, just by using their other senses, as well as their instinct. This proved to be quite the disaster, with most of the team members either failing to hit their opponent, or exaggerating and ending up destroying something in the Garden. Luckily, being a magical place, the garden would just repair itself almost immediately.

"Ouch! You could've been a little gentler with that fan of yours, you know?" -Queen Bee told Louve Grise, as she rubbed where the fan had cut her on the arm. It was nothing serious, and it did not even cut the suit's fabric, but it still hurt a little.

"Sorry. It's a little hard to see with these on." -Louve Grise apologized to her, as she removed her blindfold.

And they were not the only ones who thought that. The rest of the team also admitted that they were doing something wrong, though they did not know how to fix that.

"This isn't working." –Corbeau Noire said.

"Tell me about it." -Antelope said. –"How am I supposed to know where to go, if I can't see?" -he asked out loud. –"I don't know about you, but, for someone who relies on speed, being blindfolded as practically the same as having a broken leg or a foot."

"And you think that for someone who has the ability to fly is any easier?" -Corbeau Noire asked him. –"I almost went against a tree!"

"The only one around here that doesn't have any problem with this, because he's practically indestructible is Grizzly, over there." -Arachnid said. –"You could drop a building on top of him that he wouldn't feel a thing… well, maybe not a building, but a least a big boulder." -he stated.

"Hey, I also get hurt. I just don't get hurt as easily as you do." -Grizzly told him.

"Still, this whole training session was a disaster." -Ladybug sighed. She blamed herself for not being able to give the example, for she too had failed to defeat Rena Rogue in a one-on-one match.

"That is because you are giving too much importance to one of your senses, and not nearly enough to the remaining ones." -Master Fu said, as he approached them. On that day he was not wearing his usual red and white Hawaiian shirt, but instead, a blue and green one with numerous yellow parrots stamped on it. –"Let me ask you something. How do you think a blind man or woman is able to survive, without using their eyes?" -he asked them. –"To answer that, allow me to quote one of my favourite superheroes, Daredevil."

"Daredevil?" –Queen Bee asked.

"Yeah, you know, Hell's Kitchen Devil? He's always pairing up with Spider-Man in the comic books. Even had his own movie with Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, as well as Michael Clarke Duncan and Colin Farrell, which was one of the worst movies ever, and nowadays has that awesome Netflix series, which is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe." -Arachnid started to blabber about it, just like the geek he was.

"Alright, alright, stop being a nerd, I get it, okay!" -Queen Bee exclaimed.

"The word you're looking for is geek, okay?" -Arachnid told her.

"Whatever, nerd or geek, I don't care. I know who Daredevil is, okay?!" -Queen Bee replied. –"I may not be as obsessed with comic books and such, like you are, but I do know the character."

"Never mind that now! Would the two of you stop fighting over something so trivial?" -Ladybug said, putting an end to that fight. –"Please, Master Fu, continue."

"Very well." -the old man asserted with his head. –"As I was saying, there's a quote from Daredevil that I think you should hear. He said: " _My gift did not come cheap, but it gave me two things. The first, was the power to get things done, when it seems nothing can be done within the law. The second, and probably the most important of all, it taught me that through my other senses, I can see further and better, than when I had my eyes._ " -he said. –"And in case you're wondering what that means, it means that in order for you to learn how to fight without your eyes, you must embrace all your other senses, without neglecting any of them."

"As if we had been blind all our lives…" -Forest Doe said.

"Exactly, my dear." -Master Fu smiled. –"Right now, even you are blindfolded, you still try to rely on your eyes, ignoring your other senses. Instead of ignoring them, you need to use them, while ignoring the one thing you can't use right now, your eyes. Once you do that, you will be in full contact with your other senses." -he said. –"Of course, don't expect to learn how to fight with your eyes folded in just about two or three days. You still have a long way to go."

" _And there he goes again, talking like Confucius._ " -Dragonfly told herself. –"So, does this mean we have to put these on and go for another round?"

"No, not today. I think you already suffered enough for one afternoon." -Master Fu joked, making some of the others chuckle. –"Instead, and in order to relax both your body and soul, I recommend that you join me in meditation." -he suggested.

"Meditation?" -Flamingo asked.

"No offense, master, but… every time we try to meditate, we all end up falling asleep." -Carapace said.

"Yeah, we end up falling asleep, even when we don't want to." -Panda Rouge declared.

"Then, maybe what you need is a way to stay awaken. May I suggest that we listen to some music that is to your taste?" -Master suggested them. –"Personally, I enjoy classical music, but since you're to participate, maybe you should choose the music."

"Really? We get to choose the music?!" -Forest Doe exclaimed.

"As long it's not metal, rock or anything else that will wake up the dead, yes you may choose." -the old man told them.

Choosing what to hear while meditating was not an easy thing to do, because all of them had very different musical tastes. Still, there was one artist they all loved, Jagged Stone. Though he was most famous for his rock songs, he had also recorded some more calmer songs that still made them unique and absolutely addictive to their fans. And as fate would have it, Ladybug had one of the CDs with those songs in her backpack. Putting it on, they were ready to meditate. The songs were definitely calmer than the ones that were heard on most radios. They still had that beat that made them one of a kind, but they were calmer, and perfect for meditation, as they found out. Led by Master Fu, the whole team tried to relax and purify their thoughts. The sound of their breathing was one with the musical notes, as they let their bodies release the tension accumulated by the previous training., while at the same time, it allowed them to think of things they had done, or that they were going to do. It allowed them to reflect upon those very same things.

" _This has been a lousy training… still, there's nothing that Jagged Stone can't fix with his songs._ " -Ladybug thought to herself.

" _If only she could have seen just how graceful she was. Even blindfolded, her moves were so graceful._ " -Corbeau Noire told herself, as she thought about Flamingo, and her heart skipped a beat while doing it.

" _I should have bought that beautiful satin scarf yesterday…_ " -Queen Bee thought to herself. _–"… but if I had bought it, I wouldn't have anything to wear it with, which meant I would end up buying more clothes to wear with it, and I can't do that until Miss Bustier tells me my new grade in Biology. I can't risk doing that, until I know the grade, because of dad._ "

" _I wonder what mom will be making for dinner tonight?_ " -Panda Rouge asked himself.

" _I'm so hungry… I'm so hungry I could eat a whale right now!_ " -Grizzly Bear thought, as he felt his stomach glued to his back. He had had a big lunch, but right then, it felt like he had not eaten for the past couple of days. –" _Well, maybe not a whale, but at least a huge tuna fish… or maybe a sardine shoal, I don't know. I'm just in the mood for fish today._ "

" _This pillow is so uncomfortable… on top of that, I'm starting to feel my butt dormant._ " -Antelope thought to himself.

When they ended, not only they felt more relaxed, but felt like any problem they might have was rather small, when compared to the rest of the universe. Chat even joked that for a little while, they were one with the universe, which earned him a couple of laughs from the rest of the gang.

Reverting to their civilian selves, they all got ready to leave and head back home. Marinette had something planned for that afternoon with Manon, but did not mind having some extra company. Gathering up a little courage in her, she decided to ask Adrien, if he would like to come with her and Manon.

"Hey, Adrien…" -Marinette said, as she approached him. –"… I'm taking Manon to the zoo this afternoon, and I was wondering… if you would like to come with me… I mean, with us?" -she smiled at him.

"Wish I could, but, unfortunately I already have plans for today." -Adrien said.

"Yeah, he's going to a reception for some big shot at a fancy restaurant with his dad." -Plagg said, in utter disgust.

"You're just saying that because I'm not taking you with me." -Adrien told Plagg.

"But there's going to be cheese at that reception! There's always fancy cheese at that kind of parties! Believe me, I've already watched enough television to know that!" –Plagg exclaimed.

"Well, then you'll just have to settle yourself with the cheese we have at home." -Adrien told his kwami, who stuck his tongue out at him. –"But truth to be told, I wish I really didn't have to go." -he declared to Marinette. –"Chloé over there is the one who loves those things. I would rather stay home, playing videogames, or even go out with you."

The last bit made Marinette blush a little. Though on the outside she seemed calm and serene, on the inside of her head, it was like a party, where multiple mini-Marinettes were celebrating the fact that Adrien had told her he would like to go with her. But that euphoria only lasted a couple of seconds.

"Oh, I understand." -Marinette sighed, sad that the hunk of her dreams would not be accompany her that afternoon, like he did when they first went out. –"Well… have fun, or at least try to." -she said, trying to cheer him up, as well as herself.

* * *

Built in 1934, the Paris Zoological Park, commonly known by most Parisians as the Vincennes Zoo, was home to more than 180 different animal species, and more than 1000 animals. The zoo was also home to the "Big Rock" a large artificial 65 meters tall high rock visible from most of the park, and that had been turned into a landmark associated to the zoo. And on that day, Marinette and Manon were going to spend the afternoon there. The little girl had been asking Marinette's mom to take her to the zoo ever since she heard in the news that a new baby bear had been born, saying that she wanted to see it. So, instead of spending the afternoon at home watching television, the blue-haired girl decided to take Manon to the zoo.

As soon as they crossed the zoo gates, Manon started to act like her hyperactive self, wanting to go everywhere and see everything. Marinette, on the other hand felt herself invaded by nostalgia, as her mind wandered around, remembering the first time she visited that zoo with her parents. She was probably the same age as Manon, or perhaps a little younger and she was incredibly cranky that day. She wanted to stay home and watch one of her favourite cartoons, but instead, she was dragged out of the house, without knowing where they were going. When they arrived and Marinette saw that they were going to the zoo, she told both Tom and Sabine that she wanted to see all the animals and pet them. It was the first time she was seeing wild animals live, and the whole visit was something she would remember to the day she died. The chilly breeze that was blowing, pushed the smell of roasted peanuts in the air towards Marinette, making her even more nostalgic about that day, when her mom bought her that delicious treat for the first time. After she tasted it, the young Marinette knew that from that day on, she would try to eat that delicious treat as many times as she could.

"Hey, Manon! You want to try something delicious?"-Marinette asked her.

"What?" -Manon asked Marinette, curious.

"Roasted peanuts." -Marinette smiled. –"Have you ever tried them?"

"No." -Manon waved her head.

"Well, then you're going to love these." -the blue haired girl told the little toddler, as the two made their way to the peanut cart. –"They make them super sweet, but they also have a kind that is sweet and salty. Which ones do you want to try?"

"Sweet and salty ones!" -Manon chirped.

"Good choice." -Marinette smiled, as she readied herself to buy them.

With a bag of those delicious treats each, Marinette and Manon made their way to where the lemurs were. After going through the small crowd that was in front of the primate's habitat, the two of them saw that it was feeding time for the lemurs. Manon found them funny because they were always jumping around and had those big-wide eyes and long-striped tails along with. They watched as the handlers fed them their favourite snack, sliced apples and apricots.

"Look, look, Marinette!" -Manon pointed out to one of the lemurs that had just caught a piece of apple. –"He's taking it to that other lemur, and they're sharing it!" -she said. –"They must be boyfriends!"

"Who knows?" -Marinette chuckled. –"Did you know that they have those really big eyes, because the allow them to see in the dark?"

"No." -Manon waved her head.

As they kept walking, they saw all kind of wild animals, and Manon insisted on seeing them all. She particularly liked one of the most recent acquisitions from the zoo, a black panther. When they saw the huge feline in its cage, the panther was asleep, and Manon told Marinette that the panther looked just like a kitty cat, only bigger. The panther also reminded Marinette of something, but in her case, it reminded her of Adrien and his superhero persona, Chat Noir.

While passing by the giraffes and the elephants, Marinette remembered about Tikki, and how she had told her that those were her favourite animals. Marinette left her at home, because she told her that she was tired and needed a nap. The blue-haired girl still tried to convince her to come with her and Manon, but the little kwami said that she was exhausted and needed to sleep. Still, Marinette promised her that she would bring her something from their visit and she had just found the perfect gift, photos of the elephants and the giraffes. She was also going to buy her an elephant plushie keychain she saw in the gift shop earlier.

In the tropical greenhouse, Manon got a little scared with the reptiles, whom she considered ugly and scary, especially the iguanas and the snakes. But, Marinette showed her that not all the reptiles were ugly or scary, and that most of them were just as afraid of humans, as humans were afraid of them.

"You see that one over there, Manon? That one over there is a chameleon." -Marinette pointed out to one of several chameleons. –"Chameleons are awesome, you know? They can change their colour, so when a predator is after them, they can't see them, because they hide from them in plain sight." -she smiled. From all the reptiles, chameleons were Marinette's favourite, mainly because she just loved how they changed colours. Somehow, she liked to compare them humans, who were always wearing different clothes, of different colours.

Still, inside the greenhouse there were animals Manon liked as soon as she saw them, like the sloths, which she found funny because they moved so slowly, the colourful toucans that kept flying above their heads or the manatees that were swimming ever so peaceful in their tank. One animal that surprised Marinette as one of Manon's favourites were the piranhas. When she saw the name of the carnivorous fish in one of the many signs displayed, Manon raced to see them in their tank. The blue-haired girl had never liked those fishes, maybe because of the stories about humans being ate by piranhas she heard when she was younger. Of course, now she knew that those very same stories were mostly urban myths, except for one or two attacks, where people actually got hurt or killed by the fishes, but that did not make her like them all the same. The idea of a bunch of fishes with sharp teeth being able to eat something as big as a horse in a matter of minutes, leaving the only the skeleton behind. She was not even able to watch any horror film that had them in it.

"Look, Marinette, look!" -Manon pointed to the school of piranhas that were swimming in the tank in front of them. –"Did you know that in the past people believed that piranhas were attracted to their victims by the smell of blood? Turns out that's fake. Mommy told me that only sharks do that." -she said, to which Marinette smiled, happy with the fact that Manon knew so much about piranhas.

Taking a break from the visit to rest their legs, they made their way to the picnic area, where they sat down to eat some sandwiches Marinette had brought with her from home. For her, she had made bacon and cucumber sandwiches, and for Manon, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, with the crust cut off. For drinking, she had brought grape juice for Manon, and for her, orange juice.

"So, are you liking this visit so far?" -Marinette asked her, as Manon took a bite from her sandwich.

"Yes, very much." -Manon answered with her mouth full, making Marinette giggle. –"Thanks for bringing me, Marinette." -she thanked her.

"Don't mention it." -Marinette said, as she too took a bite from her sandwich. –"So, tell me, what did you like the most until now?"

That was a tough question for Manon, who had been loving pretty much everything she had seen until that point. It was hard for her to pick just one moment or one animal that she had liked the most, and say that it had been her favourite. Still, she knew for sure that the reptiles had been for sure, the part she liked the least.

"I liked everything so far… except the lizards and the snakes." -Manon admitted, as she took a sip from the juice.

"Well, we still have a lot more to see before the end of the day, so you can wait to tell me what it was your favourite then." -Marinette smiled. –"We still have to check on the bears and see if we can see the baby bear with his mom." -she told her.

"Do you really think we'll be able to see him?" -Manon asked her. She really wanted to see the baby bear.

"I don't know, but there's always hope." -Marinette smiled tenderly at the girl. –"You know, I was going to wait for the end of the day to give you this, but, since you've been such a good girl, I think you deserve to get it, right now." -she told Manon.

Grabbing her backpack and placing it on the wooden table, she opened it and from inside pulled out something she had been working on for the past few days, just before going to bed. When she saw what Marinette was holding in her hand, Manon squealed out of joy.

"The dolly!" -she exclaimed, as Marinette showed her an exact duplicate plushie of Tikki.

"You asked me for one, so you could play with it. Then, here it is." -Marinette smiled, as she handed the dolly to Manon, who could not be happier, right then.

Seeing the happiness in the little girl's eyes, Marinette congratulate herself on a job well-done. All those late-nights it took her to sew the doll and then put in all the details to look just like Tikki had paid off, just to see Manon smile like that.

(Flashback)

_It was almost 2 in the morning, and Marinette was still in front of her sewing machine, working on something. Something she deemed too important to do it some other time. It had been a rough couple of days, and she was tired, but she had promised herself that she would finish it that night, before turning in. Tikki had tried to convince her to come to bed, but Marinette was proving to be quite stubborn. Hovering around her, Tikki insisted on Marinette going to bed._

_"_ _Marinette, please, come to bed." -Tikki begged her._

_"_ _Not yet, Tikki." -Marinette said._

_"_ _But you have school tomorrow." -Tikki reminded her. –"You don't want to fall asleep and arrive late at school, don't you?" -she asked her. –"Remember what happened the last time you arrived late? Miss Mendeleiev berated at you for almost 10 minutes."_

_"_ _I know that, but tomorrow morning I don't have classes with her, but with Miss Bustier." -Marinette said, as she grabbed a different needle and placed it on the sewing machine. –"Besides, I need to finish this to give to Manon tomorrow."_

_"_ _I know you do want to surprise her, but what good will come out of this, if you don't get a good night sleep?" -Tikki kept insisting. –"You'll look like a zombie tomorrow."_

_"_ _No, I won't. I just need to finish the eyes, then add the stuffing, and it will be ready." -Marinette said, as she turned to Tikki and showed her just how similar to her the doll looked like. –"What do you think? It looks just like you, doesn't it?"_

_The resemblance was almost uncanny. The doll was a little bit bigger than Tikki was, but unless they placed them both, side by side, no one would notice the difference. Looking at it, Tikki understood why Marinette wanted to finish the doll. She could see all the love she had put in it. It was not hard for her to imagine just how Manon was going to react, once Marinette gave the doll to her; she remembered just how happy the little girl was, when she played with her._

_"_ _It looks really good. I mean, I'm a little prettier, but you're doing a great job." -Tikki declared, with a smile on her face, while looking at the doll. –"Manon's going to be love it."_

_"_ _Thanks, Tikki." -Marinette smiled. –"But first, I've got to finish it." -she said, as she went back to work. –"You can go to sleep, if you want to. I'll finish this within half an hour, or so."_

_"_ _No, I'll stay awaken and keep you company." -Tikki said, as she flew over to Marinette's shoulder and landed gently on top of it. –"That is, if you don't mind the company, of course."_

_"_ _I'll grow to be 100 years old, and I'll never mind having you around, you silly kwami." -Marinette giggled, making Tikki also giggle with that comment of hers._

(End of flashback)

Manon could not contain herself with joy. That doll was so pretty and special, and the fact that Marinette had did it for her, made it even more special to her.

"Thanks, Marinette!" -Manon said, as she got up and went to give Marinette a huge hug. –"Thank you so much for the present." -she kept thanking her.

"I'm glad you liked it so much." -Marinette said, as a small tear of happiness rolled down her cheek. She was feeling like a million bucks right then.


	17. Madame Romani's Plan

Marinette could have not given Manon a better surprise than the Tikki doll, even if she wanted to. The little girl was over the Moon with her new doll, happily hugging Marinette and kissing her on the face countless times. She was so happy with it, that she made a point in placing the doll on the table and pretend that she was alive, by asking her if she was hungry and if she wanted a bite from her sandwich. Joining the fun, Marinette answered, making her best impersonation of Tikki's voice to answer the questions Manon asked the doll.

"Why, I would love to have a bite." -Marinette giggled. –"But only if you gave me a sip from your juice too." -she giggled.

"Okay. Here, have it." -Manon said, pretending to let the Tikki doll have a bite from her sandwich, and the giving her the juice.

As she played with Manon, Marinette wished Tikki was there to see how Manon was happy with the doll. If she was there, she would probably congratulate her on making the little girl happy, saying just how proud she was of her. But she was not, and Marinette would just have to tell her all about it later, when she and Manon got home. The rest of the day unfolded as it should have. Marinette and Manon visited the rest of the zoo, taking their time to see the zoo's newest attraction, the baby bear. The crowd around the bear habitat was quite large, because everyone wanted to see the bear cub and if possible snap a photo of it with their cell phones or cameras. This was harder than it seemed, because the mother bear kept the little cub near her always. But, their patience was rewarded when the little bear cub stepped a couple of feet away from its mother. Seeing it, most people awed when looking at the tiny creature. Manon was not an exception, who said that the little bear was the cutest thing she had ever seen in her life, wishing she could take it home with her. When she said that, it reminded Marinette of something similar she did on her first visit to the zoo. Just like Manon, Marinette wanted to take a little animal home with her, but instead of a baby bear, she wanted to take a baby tiger. She remembered how her dad tried to convince her that having a tiger at home was a bad idea, and just how huge the bill from the butcher would be, if they tried to feed him when he got as big as his mom. Still, she kept throwing tantrums, saying that she wanted to take the baby tiger with her. In the end, her mother bought her a tiger plushie and told her that if she used her imagination, she could pretend that that very same plushie was alive, and that way, she would have the baby tiger she wanted. As that memory came to her, she giggled at the thought of how naïve she was when she was little.

" _It's too bad I couldn't have my own real baby tiger back then, but that plushie sure kept me warm for a very long time._ " -Marinette thought to herself, remembering just how cute the tiger plushie was. She had given it to charity the year before.

They also took the time to watch the dolphin and the seal show. The two of them sat on the balcony, near the tank, so they could see the marine mammals up close, and because Manon wanted to get splashed by the dolphins. She got her wish, when one of the dolphins jumped over a ring, splashing her and the rest of the audience that were near her. When the water splashed her and the others, they all laughed, while continuing to admire the beauty, grace and playfulness of that dolphin and his companions. Then, one of the dolphins' trainers that had been guiding the dolphins and giving them orders, talked to the audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen, for the next trick, we're going to need a volunteer. Who would like to help us with the next trick?"

When she heard that, Manon stood up and began to wave and saying to pick her. Seeing her doing that, Marinette decided to also help her get picked, by grabbing Manon and putting her on her shoulders, so she could be seen. The trick worked and soon Manon had been chosen.

"Well… let's see… you there!" -the trainer pointed to the audience. –"Yes, you, the little girl with the purple overalls, come on over!"

When she heard that, and realized that she was talking with her, Manon's golden-brown eyes sparkled with joy, as Marinette put her on the ground and took her by the hand to meet the trainer. The little girl was ecstatic, she climbed the stairs on to the small stage that was floating on top of the tank, with Marinette by her side.

"Alright, what's your name, sweetie?"

"My name's Manon Charnack, and this is my babysitter Marinette Dupain-Cheng." -Manon declared, as her smiled broadened with each passing second.

"Well, nice to meet you Manon, and you too, Marinette." -the trainer said, to which the blue-haired girl smiled. –"So, tell us, are you ready to help us with this trick?"

"Yes!" -Manon exclaimed.

"Okay, then!" -the young woman kneeled in front of her. –"But, first things first, we have to make with the introductions." -she said, as she waved at one of the dolphins to come to her. The dolphin, seeing the move she did with her hand, came swimming. –"Manon, this is Juliet, say hello to her."

"Hello, Juliet!" -Manon waved at the dolphin, who clicked back at the little girl, making her giggle.

"Looks like she likes you." -the trainer said. –"Go ahead and pet her, she loves to be petted on her nose. -she said

Manon did not hesitate for a second, petting the dolphin on the nose. As her hand touched the animal's nose, she felt just how smooth its skin was. The dolphin's skin was like anything she had ever touched. Manon knew that dolphins were mammals, but she had always thought that because they lived underwater, they would have scales just like fishes. Of course, she then remembered that whales and sharks also live underwater, and they don't have scales, and felt a little silly for thinking such a thing.

"Now that you two know each other, are you ready to help Juliet perform this trick?" -the trainer asked her, bringing her back to Earth.

"Yes!" -Manon waved her head.

"Alright, then. Let's get you in to the boat, and strap you this life-vest." -she said, as she put the life-vest on Manon. When she made sure that Manon was ready, she told her to hang on tight, and turned her attention to the public. –"And now, ladies and gentlemen, let's see if Juliet can pull the dingy with our little Manon in it. Go on, Juliet, show us what you can do!"

After giving the order, the dolphin grabbed the rope that was tightened to the small dingy and pulled it, swimming as fast as it could with the rope in its mouth. Once the dingy began to move, Manon started to laugh and applaud Juliet. She never thought she would one day be pulled by a dolphin. The audience also applauded the dolphin and Manon, as Juliet pulled the dingy around the tank. Marinette also applauded, as she took a couple of pictures of Manon. She was sure that Nadja would want to see them when she came back.

" _I'm sure that tomorrow in school, she's going to tell everyone that she rode a dolphin, and they're going to feel jealous of her._ " -Marinette chuckled to herself.

* * *

Outside the zoo, a sinister person walked around with an even sinister purpose. But no one that passed by her, would dare to imagine that that sinister person, Madame Romani under a disguise she had come up with, would be there under a sinister purpose, to find a new victim for her master. Her disguise was quite ordinary, nothing fancy. She had turned herself into a balloon salesman. She was not a big fan of turning herself into a man, but she figured that there were not many women selling balloons. Madame Romani believed that by using that disguise, she would be able to get closer to the children, whom she saw as potential targets. Though purer than most adults, children hearts were most sincere and easier to get hurt. All she needed was to find a child that was either angry, upset or vengeful. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. They had been targeting adults to be akumatized, but never children.

Unfortunately, as the hours went by, all the kids that showed up, wanting to buy a balloon with their parents were happy. Even those who wanted a balloon and their parents did end up not buying it, did not have what she was looking for in their hearts. Madame Romani began to think that that place was probably not the place she should have picked for that endeavour. Instead, she began to wonder if she should have picked a place where kids would be absolutely miserable and unhappy.

" _Where did I have my mind when I thought this would be a good spot to find unhappy, angry and vengeful kids?_ " -Madame Romani asked herself, as she looked around, seeing nothing but happy children. –" _These kids are filled with so much happiness that it's making me sick with nausea!_ " -she told herself, when a kid approached her, looking to buy a balloon. –"What do you want?"

"One balloon, please." -the kid asked her.

" _I sure hope master Hawk Moth isn't watching me right now, because this is humiliating… that, and he would probably punish me for wasting my time and his._ " -she said, as she handed the balloon to the kid. The positive aspect of all that was that she was making some money with the illusionary balloons she had created. The bad side to it was that she did not need it. When she was human, she would have been joyful with that money, but now that she was one of Hawk Moth's lieutenants, the last thing she cared about was money.

It was then that she heard a sound that was the equivalent to someone scraping their fingernails on a chalkboard to her. The sound of incessant laughter, and that sound came from none other than Manon Charnack, who was coming out of the zoo, followed by Marinette, still excited with what happened during the dolphin show.

"It was so fun, Marinette!" -Manon kept saying. –"That dolphin, Juliet, she was really strong to be able to pull me in that little boat!"

"You really had a great time, didn't you?" -Marinette smiled.

"I sure did! Do you think we can come back tomorrow?!" -Manon asked her.

"Well, we could, but if we did that, it wouldn't be special, would it?" -Marinette asked her. –"If we came back tomorrow, we would see the same things we did today. Why don't we come back some other time, when there's another baby animal?" -she asked her. The truth was Marinette had a lot of studying to do the day after, and could not afford to bring Manon back to the zoo.

"Okay." -Manon smiled. –"But, then, can I have one of those balloons?" -she pointed to the balloons Madame Romani in disguise was holding. They were just a couple of meters from her, and neither Marinette nor Romani even dreamed that either's enemy was so close.

"Manon, don't you think you already have enough things?" -Marinette asked her. Beside the Tikki doll she had made for her, Marinette had also bought her a dolphin plushie and a polar bear plushie; and if the girl had not told her that the mini elephant and giraffe plushies she had bought for Tikki, were for a friend who asked them, she would have kept them as well.

"But I want a balloon!" -Manon said, using her baby-doll eyes on Marinette.

"No, don't you use those on me, Manon! It's not going to work." -Marinette told her. But, it was no use. Marinette could go one-on-one against an all-powerful akuma and beat it senseless into next Friday, but no matter how much she tried, she could not avoid being affected by Manon's eye trick. Sighing, she told herself to buy her the balloon, so they could go home. –"Fine, you win."

"Yeah! I want a red one!" -Manon exclaimed, as she approached Madame Romani. –"A red one with black polka-dots, just like Ladybug.

Hearing her say the heroine's name, Romani had to focus not to show just how much hatred she was feeling.

"Alright, let's get you one of those." -Marinette said.

"Yes." -Manon smiled. –"Tell me, have I showed you the photos I took with Ladybug the other day?"

"Yes, Manon, you did, while also saying how you are her a number one fan, and how she acknowledged it." -Marinette said. The truth was that she herself had not told her that when they met, but she was not going to say anything about it.

"I'm the luckiest girl in all of Paris!" -Manon said, as she took out her cell phone, and once more showed one of the photos that was now her screensaver.

When she saw that, Madame Romani felt that she had finally had a break of luck. She did not know if what the girls were saying was true; after all, Ladybug would have taken lots of pictures with fans and probably had told them they were her number one fan, but she saw an opportunity there. An opportunity to finally get Ladybug and the rest of the brats from the Miraculous Team. After handing the balloon to little Manon, and Marinette paid for it, she waited for them to be out of sight and began to follow them from a safe distance. Using her powers, she turned herself into a different person and continued to follow them. As she did it, a whole plan began to formulate in her head.

" _That little girl might be Ladybug's number one fan, but even if she isn't, I might be able to use her to get that blasted heroine and her friends for my master._ " -Madame Romani told herself.

* * *

When Marinette and Manon arrived home, Sabine was finishing setting the table for dinner. She had made a quiche Lorraine and it smelled divine. As she served it, she told everyone that that was not her usual quiche, and that she had tried a different recipe for change. Instead of using cream, she had used soy cream, and instead of spinach, she had used chard. Still, those new ingredients did nothing to change the outcome. The quiche was stupendous, as Sabine was about to find out.

"It's delicious, honey." -Tom told his wife.

"Dad's right. I even like your quiche better this way." -Marinette said, telling herself that she would have to sneak a little bit of it into her room, so Tikki could also taste it. –"Your quiche as creamy as ever."

"Oh, thanks. I was trying for a healthier version of it, because you know what the doctor told your father. He has to start eating a little healthier, at least until is cholesterol levels come down a little bit." -Sabine said.

"Cholesterol? I thought dad had passed with his health exam with flying colours." -Marinette said. One could see she was worried by the tone of her voice.

"And I did, sweetie. But the doctor says that I'm not as young as I was, and that I have to be a little more careful with what I eat." -Tom told Marinette, calming her.

"Besides, if you're not going to stop tasting the batter of every cake you prepare to see if it's good, you'll have to cut it somewhere else." -Sabine smiled. –"But, let's not talk about that. Let's instead talk about what you two did today." -she declared, turning her attention to Marinette and Manon. –"I heard that you two went to the zoo this afternoon, isn't that right, Manon?"

"Yes, and it was so much fun." -Manon said. She had not spoken a single word, since she had sat at the table.

"Oh, really? And what did you two see there?" -Sabine asked Manon.

And with that, Manon began to tell both Sabine and Tom what she and Marinette had seen, and what they did while in the zoo. The way Manon told them about it, made them feel like they had been there with them as well. It was clear for both Tom and Sabine that that had been a spectacular day for Manon, one she would not forget. And it was all thanks to Marinette, who had taken upon her to make that day an incredible day for the little squirt.

"You actually rode on a dolphin?"

"More like pulled by a dolphin." -Marinette chuckled.

"Yes, her name was Juliet and she was very strong!" -Manon said.

The sound of laughter and giggles coming from the Dupain-Cheng residence felt once again like fingernails on a chalkboard to Madame Romani, who had taken position on the building in front of it. She had tracked both Marinette and Manon there, so she could see where they both lived, but also to know what she was up against. She needed to know as much as possible about the little girl. Her habits, her routine, everything. And for that, she was going to have to keep an eye on her for a couple of days.

As she followed them at the distance, a plan for getting Ladybug and her fighting companions began to take form in her head. It was not a sophisticated plan, and did not involve any akumas. It would be just her, doing what she did best, creating illusions and getting into people's minds. But once more, she would need to know everything there was about Manon and where she lived, because her whole plan depended on it.

" _Laugh all you want, little girl._ " -Madame Romani told herself. –" _Soon, you will help me, more than you think._ "

* * *

When Madame Romani she felt that she had seen enough, she decided to go back to the lair to tell Hawk Moth about her plan. Arriving, she was greeted by Reptile, though his greet was more like a hiss. Looking at him, she noticed that Reptile's wounds showed a great improvement, over the last time she saw him. Still, it would be at least another day before he was fully recovered. Not wanting to waste her time with Reptile, she went to see Hawk Moth in his chamber. Knocking at the door, she waited for him to answer. A couple of seconds went by, and there was no answer. She wondered if her master had not heard her knocking. She was about to knock a second time, when Hawk Moth's voice was heard, telling her to come in. Not wishing to upset him, she promptly entered the chamber. As always, this one was quite dark. The only light came from glass dome where the Akuma butterflies were, and Hawk Moth was once more, staring at them, almost as if he was hypnotized by them. It was only when Madame Romani approached him, that he turned his attention from them, facing her.

After the usual reverence gesture to Hawk Moth, the gypsy woman spoke what she had come to tell her master. She explained him what she had seen and how that had inspired her plan to eliminate Ladybug and the rest of the Miraculous Team. The villain heard her, and at first, he had doubts it would work, but Madame Romani insisted on the matter, saying that it was a full-proof plan. Eventually, Hawk Moth agreed to let her continue with it, but always warning her of what would happen if she failed.

"I must say that is an unusual plan, and an unusual strategy. But given that Reptile's latest attempt was a complete fiasco, I'll give you a chance to try and rid of those infernal brats, once and for all." -Hawk Moth declared. –"But remember, Madame Romani… suffice to say that if you fail me, your next punishment will make Reptile's look like child's play." -the villain whispered to her in a cold, almost ghostly voice.

The gypsy woman could not help but to gulp at the sound of those words, and she knew that Hawk Moth was not playing, when he menaced her. She knew the villain would punish her, if she failed. That, only gave her one more reason to make sure the plan would work, no matter what.


	18. Manon's Kidnapping

Just like she had told Hawk Moth, Madame Romani put her plan into motion the following day. Her plan was simple, yet complex at the same time. She was going to kidnap Manon and then use her as bait to attract Ladybug and her meddlesome friends into a trap. She could easily just create a fake Manon with her illusionary powers, but she did not know if she really was Ladybug's number one fan, and if she was, the heroine would probably know her well enough to see through the charade. But to kidnap her, she would have to find a way to get into the house unnoticed. On the following days, she used her powers to take different forms and study both the house and people that were there, trying to understand their routine, by following them at a safe distance. The only one that she would get closer to was Manon herself… routine, that was the key to success. If she knew where everyone was going to be, she would know where and when to strike.

She began by observing Tom and Sabine first thing in the morning, when he came down to the bakery to start working, and she, when she opened the establishment. Then, at 8 o'clock sharp, Marinette would leave for school, either by foot, or taking the underground or the bus. And then, at 8:30, little Manon was picked up by the school bus. She would not come back until after lunch, around 4 in the afternoon, when the bus brought her back, and she either entered in the bakery, or Sabine would be there to welcome her. Marinette was a different story. She would come home at lunch time, and then would go out, coming back around 6 in the afternoon. Every day it was the same thing, so it did not take Madame Romani to memorize what each one of them did, and to come up with several ways to kidnap Manon.

At night, she would not even go back to the lair. She did not want to feel pressured by her master, who would definitely ask her why she was taking so long. But mostly, she did not want to hear Reptile telling her that her plan was going to fail. Instead, she would use her powers to create a makeshift tent that would be invisible to everyone's eyes on the top of the building she was using to observe Manon and her family, not knowing that the little girl was actually just a guest at the Dupain-Cheng house. The inside of her tent was TARDIS-like, bigger on the inside. In it, she would spend her time playing all the possible scenarios in her head. She did not want to leave anything to chance. She had also thought about leaving a magical double of Manon behind, to not alert the police.

"The chances of any of the parents or the older sister linking her disappearance to me or Hawk Moth is very, very slim, but either way, I don't want the police snooping around. God knows that there have been too many things blamed on my master, lately." -Madame Romani said.

Ever since he showed up, Hawk Moth had been branded a terrorist by both the authorities and the media, and though he had nothing to do with them, several crimes had been linked to them, from several bank heists to robberies, not to mention kidnappings. All of those crimes had been blamed on him at first, only for the authorities to find out later that he had nothing to do with them. The difference was that this time, the kidnapping would really be Hawk Moth's fault. She was not afraid of the police. With her powers, she could easily turn them all against each other, and even kill each other. Like Hawk Moth had told her and Reptile, the authorities were not the issue. The Miraculous Team was, because they were the only ones who had the power to stop him. Without them, the police, the army and whatever law enforcements there were, would fall.

"Once those kids are out of the equation, Hawk Moth will be rule this city and the world." -Madame Romani smirked evilly, as she pictured herself next to her master, as he ruled supreme. –"But for now, I can't have the police on my tail. Having them implying that my master is behind that girl's disappearance could alert those kids to what I'm doing. It's a long shot, but they might have some connection to the police or something else that would put them on my trail. There can be no mistakes. I must not leave anything that leads to my master and that alerts them… at least, until I want to." -she smirked.

As she continued to contemplate which way she would chose to carry on the first part of her plan, she heard a sound coming from outside. It was the sound of a door opening. To her surprise, she had a unwanted guest on that rooftop with her, and that guest was one of the building's residents, Xavier Ramier. Xavier was an ornithologist with a curios affinity for pigeons. Ever since he was a child, he loved to watch those birds flying around, so when he became older, he began to raise carrier pigeons, a passion that grew with each passing year. Every day, no matter what else he had to do, he would go to one of the many parks in Paris to feed the pigeons, and at night, after dinner, he would go to his building's rooftop, where he had his collection of carrier pigeons, to check on them and to see if they would need anything. As he approached the cage where the animals were, the man saw that they were quite

"What's going on with you?" -Xavier asked them. –"You're all so restless tonight." -he said, as he checked the cage for anything out of the ordinary. –"I get it, you want to go out and stretch your wings a little, don't you? Fine, let's give you some exercise, my darlings."

Opening the cage's doors, all he pigeons flew into the night air, performing circles around the building. The circles started small and got progressively bigger. No matter how many times he saw that, it always amazed him to see just how such creatures could do that. The way those pigeons flew in a circle against the dark night sky, to Xavier, that was quite the show.

" _Magnificent…_ " -he thought to himself. –" _Still, I think Emile must have something in his left wing. Once he comes down, I'll have to look at it._ " -he thought. He named all of his pigeons after his favourite authors.

But for Madame Romani, who had decided to check out what was going on, all of that was pointless. She needed silence to keep on thinking, and right then, with the pigeons flying above her head, that was pretty much impossible.

A few minutes went by, and when he felt that his pets already had enough exercise for one day, Xavier called them back using a whistle he had with him. Once they heard the whistle, the pigeons flew back into the cage, when something happened; on its way down, one of the pigeons hit Madame Romani's tent and had trouble landing. Seeing that happening, Xavier was speechless, running to where his pigeon had fallen. Grabbing it with both hands, he quickly checked him to see if it was hurt. Luckily, the shock was greater than anything else, and the feathered creature was alright. Still, he asked himself how could that had happened? There was nothing there that would make the animal do that.

"What could have made you do that?" -Xavier asked, as he calmed down the pigeon.

Madame Romani who saw the man approaching her tent was preparing herself to deal with him, but this one stopped just mere inches from her invisible tent, standing there, looking up and down, trying to see what could have the pigeon stumbled upon. After a couple of moments, he just shrugged his shoulders and turned around, heading to the pigeon cage. It was not until the man left that the gypsy woman finally had some peace and quiet.

"I was starting to think that I would have to mesmerize that idiot." -Madame Romani declared. –"Where have you seen someone liking those disgusting winged rats and calling them beautiful?!"

* * *

On the following day, it was raining cats and dogs when Marinette woke up to the sound of her alarm clock. Looking out the window, she told herself that Autumn had arrived at long last, and that she was going to have to wear something warm, as well as umbrella that day. Chattering her teeth with cold, Marinette just wanted to go back to her warm bed, wrap herself in her sheets and sleep until noon. But, she knew that her parents would never let her skip school, especially on a Friday. Sighing, she woke up Tikki and told her to also get ready to leave.

"Wake up, Tikki." -Marinette gently poked the scarlet kwami with her finger, waking her up.

"Good morning, Marinette." -Tikki said, as she yawned, stretching her arms.

"Usually you're the one who wakes me up." -Marinette smiled at her. –"Today, I'm the one who woke you up."

"There's always a first time for everything, they say." -Tikki smiled.

As they got ready for school, the rain stopped, and the Sun peeked through the clouds, from where a beautiful rainbow sprouted. This gave Marinette an extra incentive to go out. Though her favourite colours were pink and red, there was one colourful thing Marinette liked even more than her two favourite colours, and that was a rainbow. Ever since she was little, she loved rainbows and for more times than she could remember, she tried to catch one, so she could then find its end and the pot of gold that was there. She never found a pot of gold, or caught up with a rainbow, but she learned one thing. She learned to appreciate their beauty, and now, every time a rainbow showed up in the sky, the blue-haired girl would tell herself that that was going to be a great day for her. Grabbing her backpack and her umbrella, she let Tikki slip into one of the pockets of her jacket, and went downstairs to eat breakfast, before heading to school. She told her parents on her way out, as well as Manon, that she was going to have lunch with her friends, and that she would only be back home around 6.

All the while, Madame Romani kept a close eye on the building and what was happening. Seeing Marinette leave for school, she knew that it would not be long for little Manon to go to school. She had decided a few hours earlier that that would be the day she would kidnap her. She pondered the hypothesis of kidnapping her when she was in school, but decided that it would be best to do it when she arrived home. She had observed her and the rest through the windows and knew just how to get her. In fact, if everything went according to her plan, she would not even have to set a foot in the Dupain-Cheng residence. Instead, Manon would come to her, of her own willing. And like clockwork, the little girl exited through the bakery and was picked up by the school bus. As the bus drove away, it started to pour again.

"Go, my little angel, go." -Madame Romani said with a smirk on her face. –"Once you come back, we'll have the chance to get to know each other a little better." -she said, as she let out an evil chuckle.

* * *

Just like she predicted, upon close surveillance, Manon got back from school around 4. As the bus stopped in front of the bakery, its doors open to reveal a bright and happy Manon, jumping out of it, and landing on a small puddle of water that was in front of her. For anyone else it was just a puddle, but for Manon, who kept splashing in it, it was as if that small puddle was an Olympic swimming pool. It was only when Sabine saw her, and went to get her, that Manon entered. Seeing her, Madame Romani rubbed her hands in anticipation. It was finally time. The downfall of Ladybug and the rest of the Miraculous Team was about to start.

Using her powers, she decided to create a bridge, only visible to her eyes to get to the building next to the one where the bakery was, on other side of the street. Once there, she smirked as she prepared herself to kidnap little Manon.

Meanwhile, Sabine was serving Manon a little snack as she told her about what she had done that day at school. It had been a PE day, so it had been one of those days where Manon had lots of fun, jumping and running around the place. But, the best part of it had been when her teacher decided to read them a story from the book of fairy tales she had brought with her. She could not even imagine what was about to happen to her, if she did, she would probably start crying and begging for her mom.

"Beauty and the Beast, huh?" -Sabine said, as she gave Manon a glass of milk. –"That's one of my favourite bedtime stories, you know?"

"Mine too. And the images on the book the teacher read from… they were so beautiful!" -Manon said, as she took a bite from her croissant. –"I wish I was a princess!"

That statement of Manon made Sabine giggle, reminding her of the times when Marinette had the little girl's age and kept saying that she wanted to be a princess. She would say that she wanted to be the princess of a kingdom where the clouds were made of cotton candy, buildings made from cookies and fountains that shot hot chocolate. That was, until she decided that she did not want to be a princess anymore, and instead, decided she wanted to be a fashion designer, a dream that had since been the only one she had.

"Well, you are a princess. At least for one very special person, Manon."

"Who?"

"Your mom, of course." -Sabine smiled. –"Just the way Marinette will always be a princess to my eyes, you will always be a princess to your mom's eyes." -she said. –"Tell me. How about we call her? You still haven't talked to her today, and I bet she would love to hear your voice."

"Yeah! Let's call her." -Manon exclaimed.

"It's still a little early in New York, but, she should pick up." -Sabine said, as she looked at the clock in the kitchen. Grabbing the telephone, she called Nadja's number, hoping she would pick up. The phone rang four times, before Nadja answer it. –"Good morning, Nadja! Hope we're not interrupting anything."

"Good morning, Sabine, no I'm actually taking a break." -Nadja said over the phone. –"Tell me, is something wrong with Manon?" -she asked Sabine, because she would usually call her when it afternoon in the East coast, so Manon could hear her wishing her goodnight.

"No, no, everything is alright." -Sabine told her. –"It's just that Manon and I thought that you would like to hear her voice."

"You must have read my mind, because I was just thinking about her." -Nadja declared.

"Well, in that case, let me pass her the phone." -Sabine said, as she gave the phone to Manon.

"Mommy!" -Manon exclaimed.

"Manon, my princess, tell me, how are you, sweetie?" -Nadja asked, rejoicing after hearing Manon's voice.

"I'm good. I've been having lots of fun here and at school." -Manon answered.

"I'm glad to hear that." -Nadja told her. –"You don't know just how much I miss you." -she said. She missed her daughter more than anything else.

"I miss you too, mommy." -Manon said. –"Tell me, when are you coming home?" -she asked her. Just like it happened with Nadja, little Manon also missed her mom.

"I really don't know, honey." -Nadja said. She should have gone back to Paris earlier that week, but the conference she was covering, was going to drag itself another week or so. –"But I promise you one thing. When I finish my work here, I'll take the first plane back to Paris, just so I can be with you again."

"You promise?!" -Manon asked her, already wishing she was there with her.

"I promise." -Nadja told her.

* * *

After finishing her snack, Manon went to the living room to watch television, while Sabine went back into the bakery. Since her favourite cartoon was on, Sabine knew it was safe to leave her alone, until Marinette arrived. Once she started watching it, Manon would not move from her spot until the cartoon ended.

Sitting on a pillow in front of the television, Manon rejoiced as her favourite cartoon characters interacted with each other, causing her to laugh. No matter how many times she watched that cartoon show, it always made her laugh. Sabine had left her a plate of cookies and a glass of juice near her, so if she wanted to eat something else, she would not have to go to the kitchen, and Manon did just that, as she watched the show.

During the show's first intermission, Manon got up and went to grab a cookie, when she saw something that caught her attention. Flying around the living room, flapping its wings was a beautiful butterfly. This one was incredibly beautiful, being red, black and having a few white polka-dots. When it came to its size, she was a little bigger than a Monarch butterfly. Manon had never seen a butterfly like that before, and she wondered how it had entered, when all the windows were closed. Still, that did not prevent her from gazing upon its beauty.

"Pretty!" -Manon laughed, as the beautiful butterfly began to fly around her.

Laughing and giggling, she kept admiring the butterfly. Little did she know that there really was no butterfly. The creature itself was an illusion created by Madame Romani, who was outside, controlling it, as the illusion itself served as her eyes inside the house. When creating that illusionary butterfly, the gypsy woman made use of Manon's love of Ladybug and imprinted the colours of the heroine's suit in the butterfly, to catch her attention.

" _Very good, little girl, very good._ " -Madame Romani smiled evilly. –" _Now that I have your attention, let's bring you over to me._ "

As she said that, she ordered the butterfly to leave the living room, and head upstairs. As it flew out of the room, Manon followed it, trying to catch it. To give the girl a false sense of security, Romani made the butterfly go into every single division, before heading upstairs into the room she believed belong to Manon's older sister. As for Manon, you could almost say she was mesmerized by the beauty of that butterfly. Climbing the stairs, soon she saw herself in Marinette's room. The blue-haired girl had told her never to enter her room, without asking first. But she was not home, and the butterfly had somehow gone through the wooden trapdoor, entering in it. Inside, the butterfly kept flying in circles, as Manon tried to catch her. The creature then went up, and Manon followed her through the staircase that led upwards to the terrace. When the butterfly once again went through the trapdoor, Manon decided to open it, to see where it had gone. Though taking most of her strength to open it, Manon managed to open the trapdoor, and saw herself on the terrace. She almost slipped on the wet floor, but still managed to hold her balance, by grabbing herself to the metal grade. The sky was still quite cloudy, and the wind had begun to blow from the north, making her chatter her teeth. Looking around, she did not see the butterfly, and wondered where it had gone.

"Butterfly! Where are you, butterfly?!" -she called it out.

Then suddenly, she felt like there was someone behind her, making her heart skip a beat. Thinking that it was either Sabine or Marinette, she tried to come up with an excuse for being there, as she turned around. But when she turned around, it was neither Sabine or Marinette who was looking at her. Instead, it was a woman Manon had never seen. Her face was pale white, and she had orange circle markings around her eyes, her lips painted with an orange lipstick. Her hair was orange and worn in a loose ponytail. She wore a black and red gypsy dress with matching sandals, and there was something about her that made Manon scared of her.

"Aaaah!" -Manon screamed.

"Hello there, little girl." -Madame Romani amiled at her.

"W-Who are you?!"

"Me? I'm a friend of your mom." -Madame Romani lied. –"She told

"N, you're not! My mommy would never be friends with someone like you!"

"Oh, don't say that." -the gypsy tried to trick her into believing her lies. –"I'm a really good friend of your mom. Why don't we go downstairs and ask her?"

"My mommy's not here, and you're not nice! You look evil!" -Manon screamed at her, as she readied herself to run and call Sabine.

But Madame Romani stopped her from running, by grabbing her by wrist, hurting her. She wanted to convince her that she was a friend of her mother, but she should have guessed the girl would not be stupid enough to fall for that trick. Plus, showing up in her real form, without concocting an illusion to serve as a disguise was a bad idea. Still, it would not matter. As long as she got the girl, she did not mind if she came along willingly, or not.

"Let go! Let me go, you bad lady!" -Manon tried

"That's enough! Look into my eyes… look into my eyes…" -Madame Romani declared, repeating the same sentence over and over, as she looked Manon in the eyes, hypnotizing her. –"You're getting very sleepy, very sleepy… you're going to take a little nap, right?"

"I'm going to take a little nap…" -Manon repeated, as her eyelids began to feel heavier and heavier. In a matter of seconds, she was fast asleep.

"Yes, you're a good girl." -Madame Romani grabbed the now sleeping Manon, and lied her on the floor. –"And now, to make sure that nobody knows that you are gone." -she smirked.

Focusing, she used her powers to create a magical double of Manon. A mist started to come out of her palms, soon taking the form of a little child, the same age, height and shape as Manon. Little by little, the double became more and more like Manon, until it was an exact copy of the girl. Everything in her was exactly like Manon, from her clothes, to the way her hair was done. It was so perfect, that Romani herself believed her own mother would not be able to pick them apart.

"Uncanny resemblance." -Madame Romani told herself. –"I even surprise myself." -she said, as she kneeled and looked the magical double in the eyes. –"Now, listen, you're going to obey these people."

Snapping her fingers, the images of Marinette, Tom and Sabine showed up in front of her. Pointing at them, she gave her further instructions.

"You are to obey everything these people tell you, and you are not to leave this house, no matter what, understood?" -she told her. –"And now, go back inside and watch television."

"Yes, mistress." -Manon's magical double said, as she left. As she went through the trapdoor leading back to Marinette's room

With that taken care of, there was only one last thing Madame Romani had to take care of; getting out of there with Manon. Picking her up, she was as happy as a clam underwater. Not able to contain her enthusiasm with what was going on, she decided to tell her master that everything was going smoothly.

"Master Hawk Moth, phase one of the plan is completed." -she warned Hawk Moth through the telepathic link they shared. It did not take long for him to say something.

"Good. Remember, I'm counting on you." -Hawk Moth said.

"Do not fret, my master. Until the end of the night, Ladybug and the others will be history. I'll make sure of that." -Madame Romani stated, as she carried Manon in her arms, out of there.

"You better, because if you fail, you will suffer the consequences of your failure." -Hawk Moth warned her.

* * *

Marinette had quite the day, and just like she had told herself, when she saw that rainbow in the morning, it had been a wonderful day. She scored a B+ in Biology thanks to the paper she and Alya did together, thus getting her average back up. And when she found out that Chloé had scored a B+ as well, she became happy for her friend, whom she knew needed to get a better grade at that subject, even more than she did. At lunch, she and Alya went out to eat at a bar near their school, and to her surprise, Nino and Adrien joined them. She spent most of the time blushing, every time Adrien looked at her. After lunch, the four of them joined the rest of the class for one of their weekly trainings. Since it had stopped raining, they decided to do practice their moves and abilities in the city, instead of using the Garden of the Ancients. No matter what anyone would say, running around town, using the rooftops as their playground to practice beat their training in that magical garden. Sure, time went by slower in the garden, but they did not have the same kind of freedom they had, when they jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Because when they trained in the real world, it was the closest thing to get into action, without any kind of dangers. Plus, the view was one of a kind. Paris looked even more beautiful in a cloudy day, right after raining, than on a sunny day. For some unknown reason, it looked more mystical and mysterious. Maybe it was the way the clouds prevented most of the sunlight from reaching the earth, or perhaps, it was something else. Whatever the reason was, it was something that only those who loved in Paris understood and could appreciate, and they were lucky enough to be among those people.

When they finished the training, and reverted to their civilian forms, Chloé, who was still in the mood to celebrate her B+, decided to treat all of them to something hot and sweet at a nearby café. As they all shared a nice cup of hot tea which warmed their bodies, they tried to choose between them what had been the highlight of that day's practice. Their last stop was at Master Fu's place, where they left their kwamis for a check-up. The old master told them that kwamis needed to be checked to see if they were alright, from time to time. Leaving them with him, he told them that he would send them back to their homes by using the magical link between the kwamis and their holders.

In sum, it had been a wonderful day, and she was sad to see it ending. Still, with the weekend just around the corner, she tried not to think about it, as she entered home. Tired, she dropped her backpack and sighed, relieved to finally be home. She loved to hang out with her friends, but there was nothing like getting home and enjoy the peacefulness of a happy home. And right then, she needed three things, a bath, a change of clothes and a nice hot meal cooked by her mom.

"I wish mom would hurry and come and fix dinner. But with that number of customers still down there, it's going to take a little while to close up the bakery." -Marinette thought to herself. –"Sometimes I wished dad wasn't the best baker in Paris." -she giggled. –"Well, it doesn't matter. That way I'll be able to take a bubble bath."

Entering the living room, she saw Manon in front of the television. She noticed the plate of cookies and the glass of milk, both still full next to her, and wondered why she had not touched them. Approaching her, she asked if everything was alright.

"Manon? Is everything alright?" -Marinette asked her. –"You didn't eat the cookies and milk mom felt you." -she said.

"I'm not hungry." -Manon answered her, without taking her eyes off the television.

Marinette felt that was a little strange. Manon was always hungry, especially when it came to sweets, and her dad's cookies were as sweet and delicious as you could get. Her saying that she was not hungry, it was not like her. Still, the blue-haired shrugged her shoulders and told herself that there was a first time for everything.

"Oh, alright. Just don't eat them before dinner, or you'll spoil your appetite." -Marinette warned her. –"If you need anything, I'll be upstairs taking a bath… after today's practice I really need one." -she mumbled the last part to herself.

"Okay, Marinette." -Manon said, as Marinette went upstairs. Little did she know that that was not the real Manon, and that she was not going to have any sleep on that night, because of her.


	19. The Fake Manon

Instead of going back to the lair, Madame Romani decided to find herself a place she could stay with Manon, until it was time to move with phase two of her plan. At first, she thought about using her powers to create the tent she had used to keep an eye on the girl and her family, but quickly dismissed the idea. If she did that, she would have to use her powers, and she was going to need them all in full force for that night. Using them to create such a trivial thing, even if needed at that time, would be a waste of her powers. It took a bit, but she found an abandoned building, which would make a suitable shelter.

As the night fell and the street lights were turned on, the gypsy villain counted the minutes until it was time for her to take on Ladybug and the Miraculous Team. Looking outside, she noticed the night sky was filled with stars, which seemed almost a miracle, given the clouded sky they had a few hours earlier. The apartment she was in was dusty and filled with cobwebs. One would not need to be a detective to understand that just like the rest of the building, no one entered there in years, probably decades even. The only ones that would have been there since the building was closed and considered for demolition, were the rats and the cockroaches. She had placed Manon in a cage she had conjured, so she would not escape, and was now imagining how things would unroll on that night.

" _I can't believe it was that easy to get that little twerp out of there._ " -Madame Romani thought to herself. –" _She will be the perfect bait to catch those infernal kids and eliminate them once and for all. By the end of the night, they will be nothing more than a mere memory._ " -the gypsy woman kept musing to herself. –" _And then, Hawk Moth will finally rule supreme, and I, unlike that stupid and incompetent Reptile, will be rewarded for my efficiency… I will certainly be elected to be the master's right-arm, and rule by his side._ "

Her thought was cut by a scream, a scream that came from the only other person in that place, Manon. She had awoken and seeing herself in an unknown place, she screamed for help.

"Help! Help! Help!" -Manon screamed on top of her lungs. –"Mommy, Marinette, help!" -she kept screaming, hoping someone

Manon's voice, not to mention her pleas for help, was piercing the gypsy woman's ears like a needle. Not wishing to hear her screams, or for her to call the attention of someone who might hear her from the street, Madame Romani decided to see if she was able to calm her down, one way, or another. Hearing footsteps, Manon stopped yelling and tried to see who was coming from the dark. Her little heart was thumping like crazy, as she tried her best not to start crying, remembering what Nadja had told her once; that even if she was afraid, she should not cry, because good girls don't cry.

"Well, well, look who decided to wake up." -the gypsy woman said, as she came out from the shadows, revealing herself to Manon, who immediately recognized her from before.

"Y-You! You're the bad lady!" -Manon shouted. You could see the fear on the little girl's eyes.

"I'm not bad, little girl… well, I am a little bit bad, but I'm not entirely bad." -Madame Romani told her, as she kneeled in front of the cage. –"I'm just playing for the right team."

Manon did not understand what she was talking about, but the way she talked, it gave her the creeps. The way Madame Romani was looking at her right then, ir made her feel even more scared by the minute. She just wanted to get out of there and run to the arms of either Marinette or Sabine, or preferably, her mother, because she always felt safe when in her arms.

"Where am I?! Take me back to Marinette's house!" -Manon begged her, as her little heart became filled with fear. –"Please, take me back!" -she kept begging her, hoping she would do what she asked.

"No." -Madame Romani answered her. –"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to take you home."

"Please, take me back! Please! I'll give you my dollies if you take me back to Marinette's house." -Manon insisted on the matter. With each passing second, her voice revealed that she was frightened with all that, and did not know why she had been taken by that woman that scared her.

"Shut up!" -Madame Romani snapped at her. –"Either you stop with that, or I'll give you real reasons to scream about!"

With that shout, Manon finally began to cry. She was scared, she did not know why she had been taken by Madame Romani and she wanted to get out of there, and into her mother's arms.

"What did I tell you?! I told you to stay quiet, you hear me?!" -Madame Romani snapped at Manon again. She was hoping that by scaring her, she would end up so scared that she would stop crying.

"I want t-to go h-home! I want m-my m-mommy!" -Manon screamed, between sobs.

Growing tired of all that crying and screaming, Madame Romani decided that she had had enough of that, and did the only thing she could think of… hypnotize her, again.

"Oh, forget it!" -Madame Romani exclaimed, as she placed her hands between the cage's bars and grabbed Manon by the shoulders, forcing her to look her in the eyes. -"Sleep, now!" -she said, as she hypnotized her.

Once again, she managed to hypnotize the little girl, who fell asleep almost instantly. That was one trick that was quite effective though it consumed a little bit of her energy. Still, she would rather use up a little bit of her energy, if that meant she did not have to hear a little girl crying for her mommy, than to have her patience tested. All she had to do was wait a little bit, to regain her full strength back, before setting her trap. She could wait.

" _That's better… save your breath and your strength for later. I want you to scream from the top of your lungs, so Ladybug can hear you._ " -Madame Romani thought to herself, as she left Manon and went back to the window where she was before. –" _As I was saying before, this will be a night that no one's going to forget… I won't, that's for sure._ " -she giggled malevolently.

* * *

Over at Marinette's place, dinner went smoothly. The only thing that seemed out of place was the fact that Manon talked very little, and barely ate anything. Marinette wondered why she was acting like that, and Sabine told her that she was probably just homesick and missed her mom. She also suggested Marinette to try and cheer her up a little bit.

"Why don't you put up one of your puppet shows for her? She loves it when you do that." -Sabine smiled.

Taking her mom's advice, she took Manon to her room and put on a puppet show for her. Going through her collection of puppets, she chose a few that she had even forgot existed, her version of Lupin the Third and her eternal lover, Fujiko Mine, not to mention Lupin's best friends, Daisuke Jigen and Goemon Ishikawa.

"But Fujiko, sweetie, at least give me a kiss." -the Lupin puppet begged.

"No, Lupin… not unless you give me a beautiful diamond necklace!" -the Fujiko puppet exclaimed.

"Alright! I'll steal that diamond necklace, just for you!" -the Lupin puppet exclaimed.

"Oh, Lupin, you're so sweet…" -the Fujiko puppet said.

"That Fujiko… she always taking advantage of Lupin." -the Jigen puppet sighed.

"You know he's in love with her, and he'll do everything for her, even jump into a volcano, if that makes her happy." -the Goemon puppet said.

As she played with puppets, she felt like watching the show again. It was one of her favourite old school animes. She loved the manga, but the anime was so much funnier for countless reasons. From the crazy antics the characters did, to the almost impossible feats of danger and plain old luck, there were too many the reasons why she like to watch and re-watch it again and again. Just thinking about it, made her giggle. But Manon, who usually loved Marinette's puppet shows seemed distant and uninterested. Looking at her, she thought that maybe she just did not like the puppets she was using. Maybe if she used some other puppets, Manon would like the show better.

"You don't like these puppets, Manon?" -Marinette asked her.

"I like them." -Manon declared in a neutral voice.

"Come on, now, I can tell that you're not liking the show." -Marinette said. –"You don't have to say that you like it, just so you don't hurt my feelings."

"But I do." -Manon said, once again in the same neutral voice.

"Hold on, there. I think I have another set of puppets, which you will find funnier around here." -Marinette said, as she got up and went to the trunk filled with puppets, she had next to her desk. –"How do you feel about a story with a prince and a princess?" -she asked the little one, as she grabbed the prince and the princess puppets.

But before the fake Manon could answer her, Tikki showed up in the middle of the room.

"Marinette, I'm home." -Tikki exclaimed, as she watched Marinette in front of the trunk, not noticing that Manon was also in the room.

"Hey, Tikki… Aaahh!" -Marinette screamed in panic, as she dropped the puppets and placed her hands on her head.

Tikki did not understand why Marinette did what she did, but a few second slater, she turned around and noticed that Manon was also in the room. For a brief moment, she panicked as well, and asked herself what they were going to do. How were they going to make Manon believe that she was not alive? She was a child, but she was not stupid. And then, the little scarlet kwami felt something she had not felt in a very long time… dark magic. She looked at Manon, and there was something about her that just did not seem to fit. It had been a few seconds already, and the little girl did not react, did not even blink.

" _Could it be…_ " -the scarlet kwami told herself

"M-Manon! D-Don't look!" -Marinette exclaimed, as she grabbed Tikki and hid her behind her back. –"That's the new puppet I'm working on, and it's still isn't finished." -she giggled nervously, hoping that Manon would believe in that lie of hers.

"Okay." -Manon said.

"Okay?!" -Marinette thought. The little girl had just seen Tikki not only talking, but flying in front of her. She tells her the first thing that comes to her head, and the only thing she said was okay? Marinette knew that a child, especially one such as Manon would flip after seeing something like that, but instead, she was absolutely cool with it. Like if it was no big deal. Now, more than ever Marinette believed that there was something wrong with her

"Marinette! Marinette!" -Tikki exclaimed with a muffled voice.

"Sorry, Tikki!" -Marinette said, as she let go off her kwami. –"I'm sorry, but I think there's something wrong with Manon." -she said.

"I know. Marinette… this isn't Manon." -Tikki said with a serious voice.

* * *

Marcel had been waiting for his girlfriend, Cassandra to leave work for nearly an hour. Being an intern into one of the most Paris' most important law firms was all that she had ever dreamed. Unfortunately, it also left her with very little time. She had promised him that they would have dinner together that evening, but as always, the massive amount of work that her bosses gave her, prevented her from exiting at closing hours.

Looking at the clock for the fifth time in the last two minutes, he wondered how long it would take for her to come down. It was a beautiful night, but it was starting to get chilly, as he found shelter in a bus stop. He tried to call her once again, but her cell phone was off.

" _Where could she be? If we keep it like this, we're going to lose our reservation in the restaurant_." -Marcel told himself.

A few more minutes went by, and there was still no sign of Cassandra. A bus had just passed by, letting out a couple of passengers, as Marcel sat on the bench, waiting. And then, coming out from the building in front, was her, waving at him. Marcel smiled, as Cassandra crossed the street to meet him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." -she said, apologizing for her lateness. –"I know I should have arrived half an hour ago, but I had so much work."

Like always, Cassandra tried to apologize herself, but Marcel was already used to her being late. And the truth was, he could not blame her for it. In order to do a good job, she had to give all she had, so in the end, she could earn a place at that law firm. Smiling, he simply placed his arms around her and kissed her on the forehead.

"It's okay, it's okay." -Marcel told her. –"What's important is that you are here now, and we can go."

"You're too nice, you know?" -Cassandra smiled.

"Nope. I'm not too nice. I just know that the girl I love is giving everything she's got to get her dream job, and I have to be there to support her, no matter what." -Marcel said.

"Like I said, you're too nice." -Cassandra giggled. –"So, are we going to dinner?"

"Sure, we are." -Marcel said, as the two of them started walking down the street. –"And while we walk, you can tell me how was your day."

"Only if you tell me how was yours, as well." -she smiled at him, when she looked up to the sky and saw how cloudy it was. –"Looks like it's going to rain."

"What are you talking about?" -Marcel asked her. –"There isn't a cloud in the sky… What the…?" -he said, as he checked out the sky. –"This can't be right. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky a couple of minutes ago."

The truth was that the sky had suddenly turned clouded. Dark clouds of rain appeared out of nowhere, and they seemed to be converging together, as if they were forming a huge canvas. A couple of seconds later, in that canvas of clouds, something showed up, the giant image of a person. And this person was none other than Madame Romani herself. People seeing that asked themselves what was going on. Not only they asked themselves how could have the sky turned clouded that fast, but also how could have one person been able to project her figure into the sky like that. There was no sign of that being a regular projection or a hologram. Plus, they asked themselves if that was some part of a show or a party. It was not until she began to speak, that they understood what was going on.

"Good evening, Paris! My name is Madame Romani and I come here with a message from my master, Hawk Moth!" -Madame Romani spoke, her voice echoing like a thunder. –"And that message is for person, and one person only… Ladybug! You have humiliated my master, as well as me and those who serve him, young lady. He gave you and your friends the chance to join him and rule this world by his side, but you and your friends decided to fight him instead! Well, guess what, every action has consequences, and this is what happens when you piss off the wrong person." -she spat.

The people on the streets did not know how to react to what they were hearing.

"Allow me to introduce you someone you probably know already." -Madame Romani smiled evilly, as someone else was displayed on the clouds. It looked like a small child inside a cage. It was impossible to see who it was inside it, because of the bars, but you could tell that it was a child. –"Your number one fan, Ladybug! Yes, it is her… or at lest, she says she is your number one fan." -the gypsy laughed maliciously. –"I've kidnapped her and I have her as my hostage. If you want to save her, you know what you have to do. Give me your miraculous, as well as the miraculouses from the rest of your group of friends… if not, I'll kill your number one fan, and I'll make sure that you are blamed for it!" -she laughed maniacally.

Needless to say, that when they heard the name Hawk Moth, they realized that that was no joke. They were watching a kidnapper sending threats to Paris' heroes, in particular, their leader, Ladybug. Most people did not know how to react to that, except grabbing their cell phones and record it.

"You have until midnight tonight. I'll be waiting for you and your team at the La Defense. And a word of advice to every police officer or military enforcer that might be watching this. If you dare to show up, I'll kill the brat in front of your eyes, and then, I'll kill you as well! This is between me and those super powered brats… and if you are watching Ladybug, because I know you are, before this night ends, you and your friends will be nothing more than a memory. Remember… midnight or the kid dies!" -Madame Romani said, before her image disappeared, as well as the clouds in the sky.

What Madame Romani did with her powers, would be something everyone in Paris would be talking for years to come. But that was not what it mattered right then. What mattered was that she had challenged Ladybug and the rest of the Miraculous Team, in front of everyone in Paris, while holding a hostage. After that message, the police hotline was flooded by countless calls, reporting what had happened, and what was still to come.

Out on the street, Marcel and Cassandra talked about what they had seen.

"Did you see that?" -Marcel asked his girlfriend, as he tried to

"I think everyone in Paris did. Poor little kid." -Cassandra said. –"I just hope Ladybug can save that kid."

* * *

As that happened, back in Marinette's room, the blue-haired girl was trying to understand what her kwami had said. Tikki said that Manon was not Manon, and that did not make a lick of sense. How can someone not be who they look? That was what Marinette tried to understand, as she questioned the scarlet kwami, who kept hoveig in front of her face.

"What do you mean Manon is not Manon?!" -Marinette asked her.

"I'm saying that that thing over there isn't Manon, Marinette." -Tikki declared. –"She reeks of dark magic. I can feel it… I bet she's not even human. She's probably some magical duplicate of hers." -the kwami told her.

"Tikki, that doesn't make any sense." -Marinette told her. She herself could not believe she was arguing with Tikki in front of Manon. The thought of it was just crazy, but Marinette was too worked up with what had happened with Tikki showing up out of nowhere and the little girl seeing her, to even care about it right then.

"Oh really? Then, let me try something." -Tikki flew over to Manon and looked her in the eyes. –"Hey, Manon! My name is Tikki! How are you? Nice to meet you! My favourite is cookies, what's yours?!" -the little kwami kept bombarding the fake Manon with all kinds of questions.

Though she kept interacting with Manon, this one did not even as much as blink her eyes. Seeing this, Marinette was forced to agree that there really was something wrong with Manon. This went on for a few more seconds, when Tikki finally stopped talking, and turned her attention to Marinette, saying:

"Now, you ask her something."

"W-What?!"

"Just do it." -Tikki said, looking her in the eyes.

"Okay, okay, I'll ask her something." -Marinette sighed. –"Manon, can you see Tikki?"

"Yes?" -the fake Manon said.

"Then, why don't you answer her questions?" -Marinette asked her.

"Because… Because… Because… Because…" -the fake Manon spoke, and kept repeating herself, like a broken record.

"Just as I suspected! She can't answer me, because she doesn't recognize me." –Tikki asserted. –"Tell her to shut up, please."

"O-Okay… Manon, honey, stop talking." -Marinette ordered her, and the little girl stopped talking, standing there silently, without saying a word. -"B-But, what do you mean by her not recognizing you?"-she asked Tikki, who kept looking at that fake Manon.

"I mean that she really isn't Manon. She's a magical duplicate of hers that has been created to recognize only a handful of people, and nobody else." –Tikki declared. –"This has Hawk Moth's name all over it. I fear that if we have this fake Manon here, then the real Manon must have been kidnapped, Marinette."

"Kidnapped?!" -Marinette exclaimed, as she felt her heart sank. The idea that little Manon had been kidnapped by Hawk Moth was just too much. –"Y-You mean, Hawk Moth knows I'm Ladybug and he kidnapped Manon?!" -she asked Tikki, as the worst case scenarios of what was happening played in her mind.

"No, no, I don't think so. If Hawk Moth knew you were Ladybug, he wouldn't have wasted his time kidnapping Manon to send you message or anything like that. He would have just barge in and kill you. He's not the sort of person, or creature that likes to play with his food, pardon the expression." -Tikki told her.

"But, then, who took Manon and replaced her with this… well, this copy?!" -Marinette exclaimed, absolutely terrorized by the idea.

"This is just a wild guess, but I think it might have been Madame Romani. Reptile doesn't seem to have the power, or the intelligence to do this. Plus, he might still be recovering from our last encounter." -Tikki told her.

"Then, does that mean that crazy gypsy knows that I'm Ladybug?!" -Marinette asked her, as she felt her heart pounding faster and faster by the minute. The idea that one of Hawk Moth's minions had discovered who she really was behind the mask scared her.

"I don't think so. If she knew you were Ladybug, then, she would have told Hawk Moth about it, and he would have come for you." -Tikki declared. –"As I see it, she doesn't know you are Ladybug."

"Then, why would she take Manon?!" -Marinette exclaimed, insisting on the matter, with her nerves in a fringe. She was now more worried with Manon's safety, than with the slim possibility of someone finding out about her real identity.

"I don't know, Marinette, I really don't..." -Tikki sighed, frustrated with what was happening. She was feeling just as bad as Marinette was, if not even worse, because of Manon's disappearance.

"What am I going to do?! If mom and dad find out about this… no, when they find out about this, I'll be forced to tell them the truth about you, about the others… and Manon… they'll blame me for what happened to her!" -Marinette exclaimed, as she began to sink into desperation. –"They'll reject me… and worst yet, they'll probably throw me out of the house and never speak to me again! And that's the best of the worst-case scenarios I can come up with right now!" -she began to ramble, as the shock of what was happening took over her mind.

The idea of her being the one truly responsible for Manon being kidnapped was absolutely devastating. The more she thought about it, the more she blamed herself for having found those crystals with the others and later to have taken those magical earrings. If she had never done any of those things, Manon would still be there with her and her parents, instead of having been taken against her will by some insane psycho. In her mind, it was all her fault, and now Manon was paying the price. Deep inside, she wished she was able to go back in time and prevent her and the others from ever finding the crystals, which led them down that crazy life.

"Marinette, you can't think of that." -Tikki told her, noticing the clear signs of self-blame on her. –"Look, I know things are anything but peachy right now, but believe me when I tell you that Manon is alright. She's no good to anyone dead or hurt. I don't know why they took her, but I hardly believe they would do it without a good reason."

"And what would that good reason be?!" -Marinette snapped at Tikki. She was on the brink of tears, as she sat on her chaise-longue.

"I told you, I don't know… but, look, we're going to find her and everything will be fine." -Tikki told her, though even she did not fully believe in her own words.

"But Tikki, where could have she been taken to? I don't even know where to start looking for her… if I was a psychopath working for an even bigger psychopath, where would I take a sweet and innocent little girl as hostage to?" -Marinette asked out loud. She could not even look at the fake Manon, who was standing right there in front of them.

And then, Marinette's phone began to ring. Tikki quickly flew over to where it was and grabbed it with her tiny little hands, bringing it to Marinette.

"It's Alya!" -the little kwami told her.

"Thanks." -Marinette said as grabbed the cell phone. She was not in the mood to talk to anybody right then, but Alya was her best friend, and her confident. Maybe she would know what to do. –"Hello?"

"Girl, did you see that?" -Alya asked her.

"S-Seen what, Alya?" -Marinette asked her.

"What do you mean, seen what?! Girl, you just got called off!" -Alya exclaimed over the phone.


	20. What to Do?

When Alya said those words, Marinette did not understand what she meant, when she said she had been called off. The mere idea that someone would call her off was, for the lack of better word, ridiculous. And then, she remembered something. Apart from being your regular teenage girl, who aspired to be a world-renown fashion designer one day, when she graduated from college, she was also a superheroine.

"I've got what?!" -Marinette exclaimed.

"You got called off, Marinette! Or better yet, your other self has been called off!" -Alya told her over the phone. –"Don't tell me you didn't saw what happened in the sky?"

"Alya, I don't know what you're talking about. I'm having a really serious problem to deal with right here." -Marinette told her.

It took Alya just a couple of seconds to explain her what had happened with Madame Romani boasting to all of Paris about her having kidnapped Ladybug's number one fan and how she was going to kill that fan if she and the rest of the team did not show up at the La Defense until midnight. Upon hearing that, Marinette understood why Manon had been taken. She was taken because she was a fan of Ladybug. She then told Alya what had happened to the little girl. When she heard that, Alya almost dropped her cell phone in shock.

"You're saying that the fan Romani has captive is Manon?!" -Alya exclaimed. –"Are you sure it's her?"

"Yes. That gypsy witch left a magical double of her behind, so no one would even notice she was gone, Alya." -Marinette told her, while trying to hold her tears. –"I'm looking at that double right now, and I still can hardly believe it."

"Geez, it's a good thing that you can't really see Manon's face on the videos that are already on the Internet. If you could, then it would be difficult to explain how can she be in two places at once." -Alya said. –"But never mind that now. What's the plan?"

"Plan?" What plan?!" -Marinette asked her, speechless.

"What plan? The plan to save Manon and to teach that witch some manners, Marinette!" -Alya exclaimed. –"Come on, girl. You're the leader. What are we going to do?"

When Alya asked her that, Marinette did not know what to answer her. Half of her brain was still trying to grasp the fact that Manon had been kidnapped, while the other half was dealing with the fact that in every sense of the word, it was her fault that the little girl got kidnapped. She wanted to tell her best friend that she had a plan, but she did not have a single clue of what they were going do about all that.

Though Alya wanted to hear Marinette telling her she had a plan, she realized that her best friend was going through Hell right then. She could not even start to think how low she was feeling right then. It was bad enough Manon was kidnapped, but to blame oneself for it, that was too much for one person to handle on her own. The brunette knew her friend needed to hear some words of encouragement to get back on her game, so she told her what she needed to hear.

"Look, everything is going to be fine, Marinette. We're going to get her back, safe and sound." -Alya told her, trying to calm her down. Marinette would be of no good to anyone, if she could not think straight, and right then, the situation demanded that she was calm and serene. –"I'll call the rest of the team and tell them to teleport to the Garden of the Ancients in… let me check the time…" -she said, as she checked her alarm clock on top of the bedside table. –"…it's almost 10… how about 11?"

"O-Okay, that sounds good." -Marinette said. –"Call the others and tell them what's going on, if they don't know already." -she said. –"I'm going to try and find a way to also sneak out of here as well."

"Alright. And remember, positive thoughts. Everything is going to end up alright." -Alya told her with a sweet and caring voice. She knew Marinette loved to hear those things when she was feeling down in the mud, and right then, she needed to hear them the most.

"Thanks, Alya." -Marinette said.

"Anytime, girl. Anytime." -Alya told her, as she turned off her cell phone. –" _Poor Marinette. She's really blaming herself for what happened to the little squirt. We have to save her, no matter what._ " -she thought to herself.

"You won't believe this, Alya, but your blog is probably the most visited blog on the Internet!" -Trixx said, as she watched the pageview number getting higher and higher by the minute. –"Plus, the blog's email account is practically full with the amount of videos sent by the people who recorded that witch's speech." -the little fox kwami told her.

"Usually, I would be thrilled with those news, Trixx, but we got ourselves an emergency." -Alya said. ´

"And you think I don't know that?" -Trixx turned her head to Alya. –"So, when are we going?"

"As soon as I call the rest of the guys." -Alya said, as she checked her cell. –"Let's hope they can all join us. We're going to need all the help we can get to save Manon from Romani's clutches." -she said, as she dialled the first number on her list. –"Come on, Adrien, pick up the phone!"

* * *

After Alya notified her of what was going on, Marinette told herself that if she was going to save Manon, a few things had to be done. First, she needed to feed Tikki a huge dinner; she was going to need every last bit of power the little kwami could lend her, and to do that, she needed to have a full stomach. And second, the blue-haired girl had to make sure her parents would not come to check on her or Manon in their respective rooms during the night. Since Madame Romani told everyone in Paris that she and the rest of the Miraculous Team had until midnight to show up, she hoped that they would have the whole thing solved by 1 in the morning, tops. And the only way that was going to happen, was if they both went to sleep earlier.

Taking full advantage of Manon's magical duplicate, Marinette ordered her to go downstairs and tell both Tom and Sabine that she was going to bed, and later, she would come to Marinette's room, so she could take her with her to the Garden of the Ancients. She wanted Master Fu to take a look at it. Plus, the last thing she needed was a second Manon in the house, when she brought the real one back with her.

Doing as she was told, the fake Manon went downstairs and wished Tom and Sabine a goodnight, before heading to guest room. Shortly after, Marinette went downstairs to also wish her parents a goodnight.

"You and Manon are going to sleep early today… well, you are at least." -Tom joked.

"I'm bushed, and I need to sleep, because tomorrow is Saturday, and I want to have lots of energy." -Marinette smiled, as she kissed her father goodnight. It was hard for her to even smile, with how much of a nervous wreck she was right then, but she could not risk her parents suspecting something was wrong.

"Well, then, goodnight honey." -Sabine told her, as Marinette kissed her goodnight. –"I better go and tuck Manon into bed."

"Oh, don't worry, I'll tuck her in on my way up." -Marinette said. She did not want her mother snooping around right then. –"What are you watching?" -she asked them, trying to change conversation.

"Just some old movie." -Tom said, when he was interrupted –"… uh? What's going on?"

"We interrupt our programming for a special news bulletin." -the anchor-man said. –"A few minutes ago, one of Hawk Moth's agents, somehow, projected herself in the sky of Paris, challenging Ladybug and the rest of the Miraculous Team for a fight at midnight tonight where they must surrender themselves, while stating that she has a hostage, whom she claims is Ladybug's number one fan." -he went on, as the footage showed a giant Madame Romani in the night sky. –"As of now, we don't have any kind of information regarding who the hostage is, except that it is a child. We'll keep you up to date, on this situation unfolds. And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming."

Hearing and watching that, Marinette cursed her luck. She was hoping her parents would not find out about Madame Romani until the next morning, but thanks to the news, they now knew.

"Oh, my, that's terrible." -Sabine said.

"Oh, don't worry about it, mom. I'm sure Ladybug and the other heroes will save that kid." -Marinette told her, hoping that that would be the case. –"We've seen her and the other heroes saving the city so many times already, that I'm sure they'll be able to save the day once again." -she said, trying to believe in her own words.

"I hope so." -Sabine said.

"They will, you'll see." -Tom told her. –"You've seen them fighting, Sabine. They'll know what to do to save that child, and we're going to read all about it in the morning." -Tom declared, absolutely confident in his own words.

"Dad's guesses are always right, you know that." -Marinette smiled, as she headed to the kitchen. –"Well, I'm just going to get myself a glass of water, and then I'm going to tuck in Manon and going to bed."

On the kitchen, Marinette quickly grabbed two boxes of cookies, a carton of milk and a glass. She quickly went back to her room, and gave them to Tikki, who ate them in a heartbeat, while Marinette kept looking at the time. To not rise any suspicions about not being asleep, the girl turned off all the lights and kept quiet, only talking to Tikki if strictly necessary, while continuing to watch the clock. She kept thinking of just how scared Manon was right then, with Madame Romani threatening to hurt her if she as so much breath. Tikki had told her that what was going on was not her fault, but no matter how much she repeated those words to herself, something deep inside of her did not allow her to believe them. Still, there was also something inside her that told her that everything was going to be alright. The trouble was, that something was incredibly small, when compared to the something that kept telling her that there was a chance something could go wrong, and that was killing her from the inside. A little bit later, she heard a slight knock at the door. It was Manon's duplicate. Opening the door, she let her in, as the clock stroke 11. Seeing that, Marinette signalled Tikki that it was time for them to go.

"It's time for us to go, Tikki."

"Alright." -Tikki said, feeling a little bit full, from all the cookies she ate. –"Let's meet the others. Just say that magic words."

"Okay, and you're coming with us." -Marinette told the fake Manon, who nodded her head. –"Tikki, transforme moi!" -she said. With those words, in a matter of seconds, her usual clothes were replaced by the skin-tight red and black polka-dotted Ladybug suit.

* * *

When she arrived at the Garden with the duplicate, some of the others were already there, like Corbeau Noire, Forest Doe, Arachnid, Chat Noir, Panda Rouge and Rena Rogue, who was the first to hug the scarlet heroine. Feeling Rena's arms around her, made Ladybug feel a lot better. With everything that was happening, a simple hug meant so much to her. It meant to tell her that she was not alone in that and that she had her back. The rest of the team showed up a couple of moments later, as Master Fu looked at what Ladybug had brought with her. When he saw Manon's magical duplicate, the old master was speechless. It had been quite a while since he saw magic like that with his own eyes.

"Fascinating…" -Master Fu said, as he observed Manon's magical duplicate. –"And you say that she recognizes you and your parents, but not Tikki?"

"Exactly, master." -Ladybug said. –"She only recognized me and my parents. When Tikki showed up, she did not even react. It was as if Tikki did not even exist. And it turns out that she doesn't recognize me when I'm Ladybug either. When I told her to grab my hand, so she would also be teleported here, she did not blink. I had to grab her hand, because she didn't recognize me as being the same person." -she declared.

"At least that means that that gypsy witch doesn't know that you and Ladybug are the same person." -Rena Rogue told her. –"With everything that's going on, at least we know that you're identity is safe." -she sighed.

"I'd love to believe that, but we still don't know if Romani has actually found out about my identity." -Ladybug said.

"I believe she doesn't know, my dear." -Master Fu told her. –"If that was the case, then this duplicate here would have known that both Marinette and Ladybug are the same person. You see, to make this duplicate recognize certain people, Madame Romani would need to imprint the information of who is who, in it." -he said. –"By logic, she knows that there were three people living in your house, but she does not know that of them, namely you, has a double identity."

Master Fu's words managed to tranquilize her a little. Being so knowledgeable, the old man knew what he was talking about. The rest of the team who were hearing the conversation, kept looking at the magical duplicate and wondered how did Madame Romani created it in the first place. Ever since they had become the defenders of Paris, they had seen many things, but never something like that duplicate. But, some of them were a bit suspicious about it, mainly Arachnid, who posed the hypothesis of the magical duplicate be working as a spy camera.

"How can we be sure that it's not a spy camera, that's feeding Madame Romani, or even Hawk Moth, information regarding her or all of us, right now?" -Arachnid asked Master Fu, while pointing at Ladybug.

"We can't, my boy. But, if this thing was a spy camera, I think we would know it by now." -Master Fu said. –"Madame Romani is quite ingenious, I'll give her that… this feat of magic is something else. But, I don't think she's smart enough to create such a duplicate, with a way for Hawk Moth to see through its eyes." -he said calmly. –"Plus, if he could see us through it, I think that he would have contacted us. He's not a person who enjoys playing games with others. Not when he can simply show up and start blowing things up, if you know what I mean."

"That's what Tikki also told me earlier on." -Ladybug said. Though she was now calmer regarding what was going on, deep inside, she was still nervous about it. She would only be able to calm down when Manon was safe and sound.

"So… I don't want to feel like I'm pressuring anyone, but, what's the plan?" -Forest Doe asked her.

"I… I don't really have a plan." -Ladybug declared, while waving her head. –"I've been trying to come up with a plan since I found out that that witch took Manon, and I can't think of anything that will work." -she said.

"Your making your fear for the kid's well-being cloud your judgement." -Rena Rogue told her. –"You can't let that happen, girl."

"I'm trying to, believe me… but the more I think about it, I can only see an option…" -Ladybug sighed. She did not even need to say what she was thinking, because they all knew what was the option she was talking about.

"You're not really thinking about handing over your miraculous to her, are you?!" –Carapace asked her -"Are you really thinking about walking up to her and handing her your miraculous?!"

"I don't know… I don't want to, but what other choice do I have?! Tell me!" -Ladybug exclaimed, clearly upset. –"If I don't do it, she might hurt Manon! It's my fault she's in this mess, in the first place." -she sighed in exasperation. She did not know what bother the most right then. If the fact that Manon could get hurt, or that she felt so powerless right then.

"Stop saying that! It's not your fault she took her" -Louve Grise said.

"She's right, you know?" -Queen Been nodded with her head. –"that witch is the only one to blame here. We don't really know why, of every single fan of yours out there, she chose her as a hostage to get you to do what she wants, but that doesn't mean that you are to blame yourself for what's happening. We won't let you do that."

"And if you think we're going to let you just walk to her and hand over your miraculous, you can forget it." -Grizzly Bear said.

"He's right. We're not going to let you do such a thing." -Corbeau Noire said.

"We're all in this, and I think I can speak for all of us that we're not going to let you do something you will regret, milady." -Chat Noir smiled at her. –"We're going to get Manon back, safe and sound and teach that witch a thing or two." -he winked at her.

"He's right, you know? We'll come up with a plan and save her." -Panda Rouge told her, as the others all looked her in the eyes, and silently told her the same thing.

Seeing all her friends and teammates like that, believing that saving Manon and defeating Madame Romani was not only a hypothesis, but also a reality, almost made her cry. But she held her tears, telling herself that once they had saved Manon, she would shed some of those tears of joy.

"Unity." -they all heard it. It had been Master Fu who spoke it. He had been silent for a little while, observing Manon's magical duplicate and when he spoke again, that was the first thing he spoke. –"Unity is something that you all have, and that neither Hawk Moth or his minions has or understands. They cannot perceive what it means, because though they all are working towards a common goal, they aren't working together to reach that goal." -he went on. –"You, on the other hand, stick together through thick and thin. And that is why, I know you will be victorious tonight."

"Another great piece of advice, master. That one was quite deep." -Dragonfly said.

"Thank you, but I actually read that one in a t-shirt just the other day." -Master Fu chuckled, to the kids' surprise. –"Come on, I may be old, but that doesn't mean that I'm like Confucius who wrote all those sentences you find in a fortune cookie."

Like always, Master Fu knew how to relieve the tension in the air. When he said that, the kids could not help but to share a collective laugh. It took them a couple of seconds to stop laughing, but once they stopped, Ladybug knew that in order to stop Madame Romani they would need a plan of attack, and to come up with it, they had put their minds together. But first, she needed to ask Master Fu for a small favour.

"First things first. Master Fu, what are going to do about that duplicate of Manon? I can't take it back with me." -Ladybug asked the old man.

"Don't worry about it. I'll figure out a way to make it disappear, so you don't have to worry about it." -Master Fu said. –"Though, I believe that even if you hadn't brought it with you, I think that eventually, this creature would disappear. Magic of this kind is not known for lasting very long." -he said.

"Well, you are, as they say, the expert in this kind of things." -Ladybug told him. –"Still, I know that this might be a strange request, but, I'm afraid that after this, Manon will end up having horrible nightmares. Do you have any, you know, amulet or charm that prevents her from having those?" -she asked the old master. She was hoping he would answer yes, because she did not want Manon to have any nightmares because of that horrible experience.

"Amulets or charms, I'm afraid I don't have any… but, I can create a concoction that will block all the nasty memories and allow her to sleep soundly." -Master Fu answered her. –"I'll get started on it, while you talk amongst yourselves, planning on what to do next." -he said, as he went to the other room.

Now alone, they all sat in a circle and tried to devise a plan to defeat Madame Romani and save Manon. They hoped that by putting their heads together, they would find a solution for that predicament, because none of them was willing to hand over their miraculous to that gypsy wench. The thought of handling them, just so Hawk Moth could destroy them and then, with no one to oppose him, rule the world, was one they did not even dare to think about.

"So, what are we going to do?" -Carapace asked.

"We know you don't have a plan, but that doesn't mean we can't come up with something together." -Queen Bee said, while throwing Ladybug a smile.

"Well, I'm all ears." -Ladybug said.

"We need something that is both audacious, but at the same time cautious. We have a hostage situation in our hands." -Antelope said. Being a fan of criminal drama series, he was used to hearing that expression all the time, but it was the very first he used it himself on real life. –"We need to be careful."

"He's right." -Flamingo waved her head. –"Until one of us has Manon in its arms, we can't risk fighting her with everything we've got. If we do that, she might hurt her just to prove a point." -she said.

"And I think I know how we're going to do that." -Rena Rogue smiled. –"Listen to what I have to say, okay?"


	21. Now You See Me, Now You Don't

If there was a place in Paris that was the centre of attentions that night, that was La Defense. Built in 1958, it was known for being the largest purpose-built business district in Europe. It was named after the iconic statue La Défense de Paris by Louis-Ernest Barrias, to commemorate the soldiers who defended Paris during the Franco-Prussian War. The whole district was built to be a second heart of the city of Paris, and its most famous landmark was none other than the Grand Arche de la Défense, also known as the Grand Arche.

From the top of it, Madame Romani waited impatiently for midnight to come. She had chosen the place in question because of how theatrical she thought the building and its square looked. To those who looked at it, it looked like it had been built to stand out of everything else surrounding it. To her, it was like the most important piece in the centre of a stage. Knowing that there would be an audience to see what was going to happen, that was indeed perfect place for what she knew, was going to be the place where the Miraculous Team would fall, once and for all.

Though they had been warned by the gypsy witch to stay away from the Grand Arche, the police and the military surrounded the square, not only to keep any civilians from entering it, but also to try and negotiate the release of the child Romani had as a hostage. The various news channels tried to catch a glimpse of the two of them, but their cameras were not powerful enough to get a distinctive shot of the child, who was still inside the cage she appeared on, when the gypsy projected herself in the sky of Paris. Some of those channels tried to get their choppers in the air, but the military forbid them. With numerous people gathering behind the blockade set by the police, to see how that would end, they decided to send a negotiator to talk to villainess, in an attempt to get her to release the hostage. Seeing the negotiator below, approaching the Grand Arche, Romani decided that he had gone far enough, and so used her powers to create a barrier of fire, around the Grand Arche, preventing him from going any further.

"These idiots really can't take a hint." -Madame Romani thought to herself. –"When I said that I didn't want them near this place, I meant it!"

Snapping her fingers, the barrier grew in height, until it was too high for anyone to attempt to cross it. Though it was only an illusion, none of them knew it was just a mere illusion. To anyone looking at it, the whole wall of fire was real. She had made sure to create it to emit the same kind of heat a fire of those proportions would emanate. Plus, anyone who would

"There, this will keep them from coming any near… and to make sure that those snipers up on those buildings can see me, let me make myself and that little brat invisible to their eyes." -she thought to herself, using her powers once again. Now, only people from the ground could see her and Manon, if they approached one of the buildings ledges. To the snipers up on the surrounding buildings rooftops, they were invisible. –"Speaking of which, let's see if the little pest is still asleep."

When she approached the cage, to her surprise, Manon was still asleep. All the commotion that was going on did not wake her up. Madame Romani was impressed with herself and her abilities. She had hypnotized her in such a way, that a train could pass near her, she would most likely not wake up. Looking at the time on a giant clock that was being projected on the front of one of the surrounding buildings, she saw that it was nearly midnight.

"It's almost time." -Madame Romani said, as she heard someone calling her name. –"Now, what?!"

Turned out, one of the commanding officers was using a powerful loudspeaker to communicate with her. Since they could not approach the building, though the fireman kept trying to extinguish the wall of fire around it, without any success, they felt that was the only way they were going to be able to talk to her.

"What is it?!" -Madame Romani projected her voice, using her powers to make everyone in the square hear her.

"Miss, please, release the child. There's no reason for her to be there. You already showed us that our weapons aren't a match to your… abilities. The Mayor has given us orders to grant you anything you want." -the commanding officer told her. Of course, nothing he said was true. He had orders to rescue the child, no matter what, and he was going to do it, even if that meant striking a deal with Madame Romani, just so to betray her later.

"The only thing I want is Ladybug and the rest of her team, here, in front of me!" -Madame Romani exclaimed. She knew what the police game was, and not for a second she was going to believe in a single word they would tell her. –"And as for the child, I'm keeping the pest around me. I want to make sure Ladybug comes!" -she exclaimed. –"oh, and before you, or the other army guys decide to send one of the helicopters to try and get me and rescue the kid, here's what will happen to them."

Clapping her hands, she created yet another illusion right in front of people's eyes. This time, it was a creature similar to a hydra that began to attack everyone that was near it. The military quickly fired against it, only to see that it did not affect it. The bullets pierced its skin, but did nothing else. Roaring, the creature charged against the

"The same will happen to them. I'll conjure a creature that will destroy the helicopters and send them flying through the air, until they crash against something, or someone, and erupt into a giant fire ball!" -Romani yelled at them. –"For your own good, stay where you are and don't move a muscle!" -she exclaimed, as she turned her back on them, disappearing from the ledge.

The gypsy believed that she had made her point, when she conjured that creature. Not only did she managed to create chaos and confusion, by destroying the improvised command centre, but she also made a point that she was not in a mood for silly games. The only thing she wanted was for ladybug to show up and surrender her miraculous to her, along with the miraculouses of the rest of her team. Once she had them, she would take them to Hawk Moth, so he could destroy them himself. She could do that herself, but, she felt the honour should befall the future ruler of the world, her master.

" _Where is she? Don't tell me she chickened out?_ " -Madame Romani thought to herself. –" _If she did, I might have to hurt the kid to send her a message._ "

"Quite the show you are putting on. A little too flamboyant for my taste, though." -a voice was heard inside Madame Romani's head. It was Hawk Moth, communicating with her through telepathy.

"M-Master…" -she stuttered at the sound of Hawk Moth's voice.

"I'm watching you right now… where are Ladybug and the rest of those infernal brats?" -Hawk Moth asked her with a neutral, yet still scary voice. –"You promised me their miraculouses… so where are they?"

"I-It's just a matter of time, master. They will come. Ladybug wouldn't dare to leave this little girl I kidnapped be hurt by me." -Madame Romani told him.

"You better, because if you fail me… you know what will happen to you." -Hawk Moth warned her, with a menacing voice.

"I won't fail you, I promise." -the gypsy said, as she broke contact with Hawk Moth. –"Those infernal brats better show up quickly, or I will have to do something a little more drastic, to force them to show up." -she said.

"Ladybug will save me!" -a voice was heard. It was Manon who had awakened. –"You heard me, you bad lady! Ladybug will save me and she will teach you a lesson!" -she said. Manon was still afraid and did not know where she was, but she had faith that Ladybug would come to her rescue.

"Oh, you're awake, you little pest… Well, guess what? I hope that Ladybug comes to your rescue, so she and I can have a little chit-chat." -Romani smiled evilly. –"Let me ask you something… do you like heights?"

The way she asked Manon that question, made the little girl shiver like a leaf. Though young, Manon knew that whatever she answered, she was not going to like what Madame Romani had planned for her.

"N-No…" -Manon answered her.

"Well, too bad, because it's nearly midnight and that super-zero and her friends hasn't showed up. I guess, I'll have to force them to come, and you're going to help me." -Madame Romani lifted the cage where Manon was, using her powers to make it hover in the air. Seeing herself hovering in the ait, Manon screamed for help again. –"Go ahead, scream all you want. The more, the merrier. I want that red and black spandex-wearing girl to hear you crying for help." -she smiled wickedly.

Brining the cage alongside her, Madame Romani approached the building's ledge. Taking a moment, she watched as the firemen kept trying to put out the fire, as well as the police's SWAT Team, who had decided to join the party. Smirking, she saw just how everyone who had gathered there, waited to see what she was going to do next. She could not help but to feel like the belle of the ball, with all eyes on her. It was amazing how every time Hawk Moth, Reptile, herself or one of the various akumas created by Hawk Moth's Akuma butterflies, challenged the Miraculous Team, people came running like crazy to see it happening. They were like moths drawn to a flame, waiting to get burned by it. Or better yet, they were like sheep… mindless sheep, in need of a strong shepherd, which was what her master was.

"Well, since Ladybug has failed to show up, I guess I'll have to force her to come." -the gypsy smirked, as she watched the clock striking midnight. –"Ladybug! It's midnight and I don't see you or your companions anywhere! And since you didn't show up, I should just drop this cage with the kid in it!" -she projected her voice into the air, laughing maniacally, as she made the cage fall a couple of feet downward, before bringing it back up. Manon, who was already scared, was now terrified and had begun to cry.

The people down on the ground did not dare to take their eyes off her, afraid they would miss a single detail of what she was doing. Seeing they could not reason with her and that she was willing to kill an innocent just for the sake of it, the commander in charge of the operations decided they would have to find another way to stop her. But before he could give any orders, Romani projected her voice once again, to send a message to Ladybug, who she hoped, was hearing.

"Listen up, you, teenage brat! I'm going to count to five, and if you don't show up, they're going to need a spatula to remove your biggest fan from the ground!" -Madame Romani warned.

"N-NO! D-on't d-rop m-me!" -Manon begged her.

"Oh, quiet you cry-baby!" -Madame Romani snapped at Manon, who was getting more terrified with each passing minute. When the gypsy screamed at her, Manon cried even harder than before, tears rolling down her face, as she wished that was all a bad dream, and wishing her mom was there. –"Let's start the counting! ONE… TWO… THREE… FOUR…"

The gypsy was about to say "five", when suddenly, the sky lit up with a flurry of colourful rockets. Where they had come from, no one knew, but the fact was that they prevented Madame Romani from dropping the cage with Manon in it. Her eyes scouted the area, looking for where those rockets had come from. And then, she saw it. Coming out of the crowd, were Ladybug and the rest of the Miraculous Team. The rockets had been Panda Rouge's doing, who wanted to signal their arrival, and turned out to save Manon from falling to her doom. The people who saw them leap from the audience, asked themselves how they had gotten there, without being seen. Madame Romani also asked herself how they did that. Still, it did not matter; they had come. Snapping her fingers, she opened a gap in the flaming wall surrounding the Grand Arche, inviting them to come closer. Trading looks, they decided to accept the invitation, knowing that it was a trap.

The police officers that were closer to them, asked if they needed help, but they did not answer back. Instead, they slowly turned their heads back to them and winked at them, while giving a thumb's up, as if they were saying, "Trust us." The whole scene looked like something taken from Terminator 2: Judgement Day. As they walked towards the flaming wall, people behind the grids snapped photos of the heroes, while cheering for them. When the last member of the team crossed the gap, this one disappeared, leaving everyone to wonder, what would happen next.

Smirking, Madame Romani welcomed them with the most sinister smile they had ever seen in their whole lives.

"So, you came…"

"Let the kid go, Romani! This is between you and us!" -Ladybug yelled at her. She was not in the mood for games.

"Oh, I'll let her go… I'll let her go, so she becomes a bloody smudge on the pavement, if you don't give me what I want!" -the gypsy warned them

"Let the kid go, and we'll give you our miraculouses!" -Carapace yelled.

"First, your miraculouses, then I'll let the kid go." -Madame Romani told them, as she made the cage wobble in the air. She could see in their eyes that they wanted to jump on her and teach her a lesson, but would not dare to do it, because of Manon. They were not going to risk her safety.

"No deal! First the hostage, then the miraculouses!" -Flamingo exclaimed. There was no way they were going to agree to that. Not when Romani was known for being a backstabbing wench.

"I'm not stupid, kid! If I give you the brat now, you'll just attack me with your powers, instead of surrendering your miraculouses." -Madame Romani said. They were now in an impasse.

"And what insurances do we have that if we give you our miraculouses, you'll give us the kid, huh?" -Louve Grise asked her. She, just like the rest of the others, did not trust a word that came out of her mouth. –"Or better yet, what insurances do we have that when we give you the miraculouses, you don't blow us into tiny little bits, and then do the same thing with the kid, huh?!"

"I guess we'll just have to trust each other, then." -the gypsy woman smirked. Her smirk looked like the one from the Evil Witch from the West.

"Trust you?! I wouldn't trust you a toothpick, let alone something else!" -Grizzly Bear said.

"Yeah, that's not going to happen, you hear us?!" -Chat Noir exclaimed, as he looked the villainess in the eyes.

"I'm starting to get impatient… do you really want me to drop this kid?" -Madame Romani kept menacing them.

"Not before you give us the kid!" -Panda Rouge said.

"Enough!" -Ladybug exclaimed. –"This is not getting us anywhere, and the kid there is scared to death. I have a deal for you." -she said, which made the others look her in the eyes with the expression "This is not part of the plan."

"Really? What kind of deal?" -Madame Romani asked, rising her eyebrow in suspicion.

"I'm not talking to you… I'm addressing your boss, Hawk Moth. I know he's watching. Come down here and let me talk to him. Do that and I'll tell him what this deal is all about."

Before Madame Romani could answer, she felt her body being controlled by something, other than her own will. It was Hawk Moth's doing, he had taken control of her body. Though she could still think for herself and her thoughts were her own, she could also see her master's thoughts in her mind. She could see that he was interested to hear what Ladybug had to tell him, but at the same time, he was suspicious. Still, he was going to hear her out. Controlling the gypsy's body, he made her float to the ground, along with the cage where Manon was. Once she had touched the ground, Hawk Moth spoke.

"Good evening, Ladybug. You're right, I have been watching and hearing everything that has been going on." -Hawk Moth voice came out of Madame Romani's mouth. –"I admit that Madame Romani's way to get you and your friends here is a little too flamboyant and showy for my taste, but I can't argue about the results." -he said, as an smirk appeared on Romani's face. –"Now, you were saying you had a deal to propose. What kind of a deal is that one?"

"Let the kid go, and I'll join you." -Ladybug told him with a serious voice.

"What?! You've got to be kidding to be kidding us!" -Rena Rogue exclaimed, shocked with what her friend had just said.

"This was not part of the plan!" -Queen Bee said. –"Are you insane?! You can't work for that psycho!"

"No, I'm not! It's my fault she's here. It's because she's a fan of mine. If she wasn't my number one fan, she wouldn't be in this mess." -Ladybug said. –"And you and the rest will just have to accept my decision, because I'm your leader, you hear me?!" -she snapped at Queen Bee.

There was silence from the remaining Miraculous members, who did not say a single word, as Ladybug turned to face the Hawk Moth-possessed Romani.

"Like I said, the deal is simple. You let the kid go and I'll join you. I will do whatever you want… my powers will be at your command, to do as you please." -Ladybug said with an incredibly serious voice.

"Interesting… are you really willing to sacrifice your freedom, because of this little girl?" -Hawk Moth asked her.

"Like I said, if she wasn't a fan of mine, she wouldn't be in this mess." -Ladybug told him. –"I know that me offering my powers and myself to your cause isn't the same thing as having all the miraculouses, so you can destroy them, but… if you gave back Manon

"NO, LADYBUG, NO!" -Manon exclaimed. –"She's mean, you can't let her win!" -the little girl told her.

"It's okay, Manon. As long as my number one fan is alright, nothing else matters." -Ladybug smiled tenderly at her.

Hawk Moth thought about what the heroine said, and though he felt that all of that could just be a ruse to get the kid to safety, he decided it was worth the shot. If she was telling the truth, she would serve him and then get the miraculouses from her friends, whether she wanted, or not. But, if all of that was nothing more than a trick, he was sure that Madame Romani would be able to take care of her, and the others. Smirking, he said:

"Very well, I accept the bargain."

"Don't do that!" -Rena Rogue exclaimed

"I've got no choice." -Ladybug looked Romani in the eyes, knowing she was actually staring Hawk Moth directly in the eyes, -"Let go of her, then."

"First, kneel and give me your miraculous… as a sign of trust." -Hawk Moth asked her.

When Hawk Moth said that, the rest of the team's hearts skipped a beat. If Ladybug did that, he would know how she looks like in her civilian form. Plus, he would have in his possession her miraculous. If she handed it to him, there would be nothing to stop him from just destroying it in front of everyone, before attacking them and taking their miraculouses as well. Ladybug kneeled, and bowed her head, as her hands reached for her earlobes, gently touching her earrings. As she did that, she could not help but to feel her heart pound harder inside her chest, just like when she thought about Adrien. Only this time, her heart was pounding harder, fuelled by fear, instead of love. Since she was taking a little longer that she was supposed to, Hawk Moth

"Hurry up… do it, and the kid goes free." -he said, as Manon kept yelling to Ladybug, telling her not to do it.

"Very well… as a sign of trust" -Ladybug said, as her lips formed a smirk –"NOW!" -she exclaimed.

Before the villain understood what was really happening, something hard stroke Madame Romani in the back of her head, breaking the connection between her and Hawk Moth. It had been Chat Noir's staff, as he appeared behind her. As she turned around, one by one, every member of the Miraculous Team appeared out of the blue, as the ones behind Ladybug disappeared. Turned out, they were just copies of the real ones, illusions created by Rena Rogue. It all had been part of the team's plan to get near Madame Romani and snatch Manon from her claws. Once the little girl was safe, there would be nothing preventing them from teaching some manners to the psycho gypsy.

(Flashback)

_One second they were in the Garden of the Ancients, the other they were on top of one of the buildings of the Avenue Charles de Gaulle, with the Grand Arche on their back. That was where the battle would take place, and where, with some luck, they would save Manon and bring her home, safe and sound. The wind was blowing from the north, and everyone could not help but to shiver a little._

_"_ _So, let's recap the plan once more, so there's no chance of error." -Ladybug said._

_"_ _Alright. We'll go in. Once we arrive, I'll create doubles of all of us, with you being the exception, girl." -Rena Rogue pointed to Ladybug. –"And then, they will follow you, while we follow after you, using Doe's invisibility power to conceal all of us." -she said. Master Fu had told them that Forest Doe's ability to turn herself invisible could also extend itself to those nearby, if she desired it, but only for a few minutes. And they were going to make use of said power to the fullest._

_"_ _And then, you tell Romani that you want to make a deal, but that you will only talk to Hawk Moth." -Panda Rouge said._

_"_ _Once he possesses Madame Romani, as we are all expecting he will, to talk to you, you will tell him that you are willing to join him, if Manon's released." -Chat Noir said. –"And once you see an opening, you give us the signal and I whack that witch in the head!" -he chuckled, already imagining the whole thing in his head._

_"_ _And finally, the one that is closer to Manon, grabs her, as the rest of us take care of that gypsy witch." -Queen Bee said._

_"_ _It couldn't be easier." -Dragonfly giggled. –"Both Madame Romani and Hawk Moth are in for a surprise." -she laughed._

_"_ _Yeah, but we need to keep our heads in the game, and most of all, we need to be careful. Romani won't go down without a fight." -Flamingo stated._

_"_ _I know that. But we won't go down without a fight either." -Ladybug smiled to her friends. –"Before we go, thank you guys. Thanks for making me see that all of this was not my fault, but most importantly, for being here for me and for showing me that there is always a solution, if we keep our heads cool." -she told them._

_"_ _It was nothing." -Arachnid said._

_"_ _It's our job to always be there for our talented leader, namely you." -Antelope chuckled._

_"_ _Oh, come on, as if you needed to thank us for being there for you, bugaboo." -Chat Noir joked, calling her one of the numerous affectionate names he came up for her._

_"_ _Don't call me bugaboo, Chat. I don't like it." -Ladybug giggled, blushing lightly. The truth was she loved it when he called her that, but she was not going to tell him that. Sighing, she then put on her fighting face and said –"Let's do this! Let's save Manon, and teach that gypsy witch the meaning of the word "pain" in all its extent."_

(End of Flashback)

"Grab her!" –Ladybug exclaimed, pointing to Manon's cage, as she swung her yoyo in the air.

"You got it!" -Carapace said, as he jumped and grabbed the cage with both his arms, landing safely a few feet ahead. With no time for pleasantries he used his tonfas to break the cage open. –"Don't' worry, kid, the good guys are here. We're going to get you out of here and take you home, in no time!" -he said, always smiling. –"Hey, Louve! Could you help me out by freezing this cage?!"

"Coming right up!" -Louve Grise exclaimed, as she somersaulted over Arachnid and made her way to where Carapace was.

"You're going to regret this, you brats!" -Madame Romani said, as she got back on her feet. The back of her head still stinging with pain from the blow Chat had given her with his staff.

"You're the one who's going to regret having kidnapped that innocent child, you witch!" -Ladybug exclaimed, as she threw her yo-yo at Romani's face, missing it by mere inches.

"You fell for our plan, you crazy witch!" -Corbeau Noire exclaimed, as she used her powers to control the shadows that surrounded them. She was going to use them to wrap the gypsy woman like a mummy, and suffocate her, until she passed out from the lack of oxygen.

"Now, we're going to show you what happens when you mess with one of our fans!" -Dragonfly said, as she cracked her knuckles in anticipation.

"We're going to teach you never to kidnap innocent little kids again, you monster!" -Forest Doe said, as she pulled out an arrow, placing it against her bow and pointed it to Romani's head. At the same time, Louve Grise and Carapace managed to break the cage, and spring Manon free.

Hearing those warnings coming from the kids, Madame Romani began to laugh uncontrollably. The heroes did not know why she was laughing like that. Not only she was outnumbered, but she was about to get her butt kicked, by all of them.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but you are the ones who fell right into my trap, you blasted kids!" -Madame Romani laughed maniacally. Clapping her hands, another of her illusions appeared out of the blue. This time it was lightnings, which blinded the heroes, giving her time to spring out her trap.

Springing from the ground, several dark tentacles wrapped themselves around the heroes, grabbing them either by the waist, or by the arms or legs. They tried to break free, but the more they tried, the tighter those things became, strangling their muscles. Those who had those things wrapped around their chest, struggled to breath. With all of them captured, Madame Romani snapped her fingers, and one tentacle from each of them sprang towards her, wrapping themselves until they formed a sort of rope, which she caught with both her hands, holding it steadily.

"Now, comes the fun part! Let's see what really scares you." -Madame Romani laughed.


	22. Mental Showdown

She had them right where she wanted. Madame Romani could not have asked for a better result. Her trap had gone right the way she wanted. The Miraculous Team had fallen right into it, without suspecting a thing, and every single member was at her mercy. Right then, she could order those tentacles she had created to rip them to pieces and paint the Grand Arche red with their blood. But instead, she had bigger plans for them. She was going to make use of her psychic abilities and enter their minds, with one purpose, to shatter them, and turn them into vegetables.

“Now, let’s see what makes you tick.” -Madame Romani smiled, as she used her powers to synchronize her mind with theirs.    

The thought of killing them was good, but the thought of shattering their minds, leaving them to be nothing more than empty shells of their former selves, was something far crueller, and something that suited her modus operandi far better, than just to maim them. That was what Reptile would do. But not her. She was going to impress Hawk Moth, by delivering him his worst enemies, with their minds shattered, drooling uncontrollably like someone who had its brain fried, not knowing where they were or who they had been.

To do that, she was going to go inside their minds and shatter them. Focusing, she transferred part of her conscience into each separate tentacle. It would be a matter of time, before she broke them. Kids their age would not be a match for her mental powers, she thought.    

“Let’s start with the leader…” -she thought to herself, as she entered Ladybug’s mind.

* * *

Ladybug saw herself alone, in a place that was the strange, to say the least. It was a place of unimaginable darkness; everything around her was dark, yet, she could still see herself. The place where she was could not be described as a room, a corridor, or any kind of closed space. In fact, it was no place it all… wherever she was it looked more like a blank, devoid of everything. It was then that she noticed that she was not wearing her Ladybug outfit. She was wearing her usual clothes. She was no longer Ladybug, just plain old Marinette. How did she end up there? That was the question she was asking herself. The last thing she remembered was being in a fight against Madame Romani, alongside the rest of her team to save Manon, and then, nothing. No matter how much she tried to remember it, she could not remember how she had ended up there. The only thing she knew was that Madame Romani was most likely the one responsible for her ending up in that place. 

“Where am I?” -she asked herself. –“Hello!!! Can anyone hear me?”

There was no answer, just complete and utter silence. Feeling a little uneasy with that place she was in, the heroine decided to start walking, hoping to find something that would help her get out of there, or perhaps, someone.

“ _How did I get here?_ ” -Marinette asked herself. The more she looked at her surroundings, the more she felt like she had ended up in place she did not want to be. For some reason, she felt naked, though she had her clothes on. She quickly assumed that without her Ladybug outfit, she felt vulnerable. Raising her hand, and touching her right earlobe, she noticed that she still had her earrings on. That meant that Tikki should be around there. –“Tikki?! Tikki, where are you?”

But once again, there was no answer. She was beginning to believe that was absolutely alone in that place. Still, she tried not get discouraged. If she had gotten there somehow, then she would somehow also find a way out of there. It was this upbeat feeling that told her to keep walking straight ahead. But after what had seemed like hours, Marinette began to believe that there was no way out of there. The place seemed to go on forever.

“ _Please let this not be like Gluttony’s stomach in Fullmetal Alchemist…_ ” -the blue-haired girl thought to herself. Just imagining that she was somewhere like that place in the manga, it scared her to bits. –“Because unlike Edward I can’t use alchemy… and even if I could, there’s nothing here that I could transmute with alchemy.” -she said.

And then, she saw something at the distance. She could not see what it was, but she knew that it was not there a minute ago. Squinting her eyes, she tried to make out what it was, but she could not. There was only one way she was going to figure out what was that, and that was, walking to it. Speeding the pace, it did not take long for her to see the thing at the distance becoming more visible. Soon, she saw that it was not a thing, but a person.

“Hello!!! Hey!!! Can you hear me?!!!!” -Marinette waved at the mysterious person, as it stood there, not moving an inch.

Walking faster, she was determined to see who it was. As she got closer, Marinette could make out that mysterious person’s figure as well as its clothes. It was a little girl, wearing a white shirt and purple overalls, with her hair done in two pigtails. 

“Manon?! Manon! Manon it’s really you!!!” -Marinette exclaimed, as she saw it was little Manon.

When she arrived where the little girl was, the first thing Marinette did was to hug her as tight as she could. She was so happy about finding her, that she failed to realize that Manon had her eyes shut, as if she was asleep. Only when she broke the embrace, did she noticed the girl had her eyes shut. Shaking her, there was no response from the girl, who stood there like a statue, not moving an inch. Then, Manon slowly opened her eyes and said:

“You’re bad, Marinette.”

Hearing her say that, Marinette did not know how to react, and before she could do so, Manon spoke once more.

“You’re bad, Marinette.” -Manon said. –“Why did you let me get kidnapped? Why did you let Madame Romani take me?” -she went on. –“It is all your fault!”

“W-What?!” -Marinette stuttered.

“You couldn’t save me! You let that witch get me and make me cry! You’re a bad babysitter! And worst yet, you’re a bad superhero!” -Manon yelled at Marinette.

* * *

Chat opened his eyes, and to his surprise, he was back in his room, as plain-old Adrien Agreste. He did not know how he had ended up there, but he was sure he was not supposed to be in his bed, wearing his pyjamas, given that a few seconds before, he was fighting Madame Romani, alongside his friends. Looking around, he did not see anyone, not even Plagg, who by then would be asking him if he had some stinking Camembert cheese with him.

“This is weird…” -Adrien said. –“I don’t know what’s going on here, but I don’t like it one bit.”

And then, he heard knocking at his door. When the door opened, his father Gabriel Agreste came in. He was wearing his usual attire, and had a serene, yet austere look on his face. Whatever he was doing there, Adrien was sure that he was not going to like it. 

“Dad?” -the blond asked, after seeing his father.

“Don’t act so surprised. You knew this was coming, Adrien.” -Gabriel Agreste told his son.

“Coming? What are you talking about?” -Adrien asked. He really did not know what was going on… or if what he was experiencing was real, or not.

“I’m talking about the fact that you are not to go back to that school. I’m sending you to a school in Switzerland, which should have been the first thing to do, when you came back from camp this summer.” -he told him. 

When he heard those words, Adrien felt like the rug had been pulled from under his feet. He had attended a couple of schools before ending up in Collége François-Dupont, where he had finally found a group of friends that he considered as his extended family- it was a place where he not only forged friendships, but where he felt people did not treat him differently because of his status. And now, his dad wanted to take that away from him, by sending him to a new school, far away from everything and everyone he knew, including him.

“B-But, you can’t do that!” -Adrien exclaimed. –“What about what I want?”

“Of course, I can.” -Gabriel told him in a neutral tone. –“I can send you to that school, because it’s a better school than the one you attend right now. As your father, I want what’s best for you. And as for what you want, you need to understand Adrien, that most of the times in life, you don’t get to choose what you want, remember that.”

“B-But, dad…”

“No buts, Adrien. I’ve made my decision and that’s final. Pack your things and get ready, because you leave first thing in the morning.” -Gabriel told him, as he turned around and exited the room.

* * *

Flamingo saw herself in a café, sating at a table, dressed in her civilian clothes, instead of her superhero costume. She asked herself how did she end up there, and why was she wearing her usual clothes, instead of her outfit. Looking around, she did not see anyone. Trying to make sense of all of that, she called for her kwami.

“Flint! Flint, where are you?!” -she asked

There was no response from the flamingo kwami. Flint never left Rose’s side, and not seeing him, made her wonder what was really going on. But before she could think about what was going on, someone showed up and sat in front of her. It was Juleka.

“J-Juleka.”

“Hello.” -Juleka answered in a low beat tone.

“Hey, there.” -Rose said. –“Huh, tell me, what are we doing here?” -she asked her, though she should have asked her what they were both doing there.

“Don’t tell me you forgot? You told me you wanted to talk to me.”

“I did?” -Rose asked her. She did not remember such a thing.   

“Yeah, about this.” -Juleka threw her a piece of paper. Grabbing it, Rose immediately recognized her own handwriting. Reading it, she saw that the paper was actually a love letter she had seemingly written to Juleka. She did not remember writing such a thing, but that did not stop her from both panicking and blushing at the same time.

“I-I-I… I can e-explain…” -Rose stuttered nervously.

“You don’t have to.” -Juleka said bluntly.

“I-I d-don’t?”

“No, you don’t. It’s obvious what’s written on it, isn’t it?” -Juleka pratically spat the words.

“I… I g-guess so…”

“What?! You guess?! You really think I would date another girl?!” -Juleka laughed out loud in Rose’s face –“Please… what do you think I am? A lesbian?! A disgusting dyke?!” -she asked her, every word feeling like a nail carving itself on Rose’s heart. –“Do me a favour… don’t ever talk to me again! I don’t want to be seen with a freak like you.”

“B-But, Juleka…”

“Didn’t you hear what I told you?! Stay away from me, you freak of nature!” -Juleka insulted Rose.

With those words, Juleka just walked away, leaving Rose alone, as she felt the tears running down her face. Just like she had predicted, the Goth girl did not want to have anything else to do with her. Right then, she could feel her heart breaking up into two, as if someone had carved a knife into it, and splitting it. 

* * *

Corbeau Noire saw herself on the school’s rooftop and asked herself, how she had gotten there. The last thing she remembered was trying to stop Rena Rogue and Flamingo from being caught by the black tentacles that sprung from the ground, courtesy of Madame Romani, only for herself to be caught by them. After that happened, she had no further memories, and wondered how she had ended there. She also noticed she was wearing her usual clothes, and not  

“Tamara? Tamara, where are you?”

There was no response. Wherever her kwami was, she was not there with her. Looking around, she noticed something odd about all that. There was no wind. Whenever she was up on the roof, there was always a little wind. On top of that, one could hear the cars on the street speeding and honking, and right then, there was utter silence in the air. It was as if she was the only one there. And then, her cell phone rang, signalling she had received a text. Pulling it from her pocket, she opened the text.  

“Juleka, I saw the letter you left in your desk. Let me just tell you this… it disgusts me to think that you feel that way about me. Just thinking about it, it makes me sick. I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but I can tell you that it’s something really messed up, for you to think that I would ever love you. I don’t want to see you, hear you or talk to you, ever again, you freak of nature!” -Juleka read those words, with Rose’s voice in her head.

She did not remember writing anything, but for Rose to write her such words, it was clear to her that her worst fears had come true.   

* * *

Queen Bee saw herself in what looked round hallway of mirrors. She had never been there before, and though the place looked a little bit like the Hallway of Mirrors in the Versailles Palace, there was something in it that did not agree with her. She did not know what or why, but there was clearly something about that place that did not inspire any kind of trust in her. On top of it all, she was not wearing her superhero costume. Instead, she was wearing her civilian clothes.

“Okay, not this is absolutely crazy… one moment I’m kicking that gypsy’s butt, and now I’m here? How can this be?” -Chloé asked herself. –“Pollen? Pollen, where are you?” -she asked for her kwami, not getting any response from her.  

Looking around, she saw her reflection in the mirrors. But these reflections, all of them, they did not look like her. There was something in their eyes that told her they were not really reflections. And then, one of the reflections smirked, only to come right of the mirror, much to Chloé’s surprise, who was not expecting that to happen. Then, a second reflection did the same, and then another, and another. Soon, there were five Chloé’s staring at the real one. The blonde could not stop from looking at them, wondering if she was a hallucinating or not.   

“What are you looking at?” -the first reflection said.

“M-Me?” -Chloé said, shocked to see her own reflection coming out of the mirror and talking to her.

“Yeah, you! She’s talking to you!” -the second reflection said.

“B-But…”

“Who are you?” -the third reflection asked the blonde.

“What kind of question is that?! I’m Chloé Bourgeois!” -Chloé Bourgeois answered.

“You?! That’s rich!” -the fourth reflection said, while laughing.

“The real Chloé Bourgeois would never do the things you do.” -the first reflection said.

“Yeah, you would never hang out with losers like Sabrina and Mylene, or that nerd of Max!” -the third reflection said.

“What are you talking about?!” -Chloé asked them. –“How hanging out with someone, doesn’t make me the real Chloé Bourgeois?!” -she asked them, starting to get annoyed by them. –“I’m the real Chloé Bourgeois!”

“Then start acting like the real Chloé Bourgeois! You heard me, start acting like yourself! Being nice to others is overrated! Why should you be nice and sweet, if you are rich, pretty and gorgeous?” -the second reflection said

“I’ll tell you what you should do. Ditch the stupid those stupid friends of yours, especially that Sabrina, because the only things she’s good for is to do your homework, invite Adrien for a dinner and then tell him that he would make a great boyfriend for you, just before you kiss him.” -the first reflection said.

“Yeah, and while doing that, make sure that stupid Marinette is nearby, so you can rub it on her face!” -the fifth reflection suggested, as an evil smirk appeared on her face

Hearing them say that, Chloé did not know how to react. The way they were acting and talking, it was just like she did, before she decided she wanted people to like her. Those reflections were like her, before she changed, and she did not like what she was hearing or seeing. Still, she could not deny that not so long ago, she did think and acted like them.  

“B-But… I’m not like that anymore. I’ve changed…” -Chloé said.

“Changed? Yeah, right… Deep down you know you haven’t changed anything! You’re still the same girl you were before” -the second reflection said

“Chloé Bourgeois doesn’t need anyone except herself! That’s why you’re the best! Because the best persons don’t need anyone except themselves!” -the first reflection said.

* * *

Although time seemed to be moving differently inside their heads, outside, it was still moving normally. It had been just a couple of seconds since Madame Romani had magically linked her brain to theirs, and she was enjoying it more than she should. Having the power to break the Miraculous Team, by just using the power of her brain was something incredibly

“Yes! Yes, now the despair starts!” -Madame Romani laughed maniacally. –“It’s only a matter of time now.”

Seeing what the gypsy witch was doing, Manon, who had been freed by Carapace and Louve Grise, right before they were both captured, along with the remaining team, was now hiding behind a huge chunk of rubble, just wanted to get out of there. She wanted to run away, and find someone who could get her home safely. But at the same time, she was angry at Madame Romani because of what she was doing to the Miraculous Team. They had risked their lives to save her and teach the gypsy villain some manners, and now they were at her mercy.

“ _I have to help them!_ ” -Manon told herself. Though afraid, she told herself that the heroes would the same for her.

Clenching her fists, she came out from behind her hideout and charged against Madame Romani. Stopping in front of her, she began to punch and kick her in the legs, demanding she released them.

“Leave them alone! Let them go! Let them go, you bad lady!” -Manon said as she kicked Romani right in her left ankle.

“Ouch!” -the gypsy woman yelled, while using her left hand to push Manon away, making her fall on her butt. –“Get out of here, kid! Do that, or I swear once I’m finished with them, I’ll do the same thing to you! I’ll fill your head with so many nightmares, you won’t even be able to tell what’s real and what’s not! -she snapped at Manon.

Angry at the villainess, Manon grabbed a nearby rock and threw it at Romani’s face, hitting her on the shoulder.

“Leave them alone, bad lady!” -Manon yelled at her.

Tired of her, she conjured something she knew all kids were afraid of, a rabid dog. In front of Manon’s eyes, a black Rottweiler with red eyes and foaming from its mouth showed up. As soon as she saw it, Manon screamed and ran, as the dog started to chase her.

“Help!!!” -Manon yelled, as she ran as fast as her little legs allowed her to. Afraid that the dog would catch her, she did not even dare turn her head to see if the dog was catching up to her. She just kept running. 

“This will keep you occupied, until I’m through with these brats!” -Madame Romani laughed. –“They have a lot more mental defences than I thought they would, but it’s only a matter of time before I break them, and then… showtime.” -she said.

* * *

Hearing those awful words coming out of Manon’s mouth made Marinette feel bad about herself. But she was not the only one who was feeling that way. All the members of the Miraculous Team were hallucinating, and each of their hallucinations depicted their worst nightmares. Some were quite ridiculous, like Alya’s fear of grasshoppers, or Kim’s zemmiphobia, or fear of naked mole rats. But others, like Chloé’s fear of reverting to her old ways and her old personality, or Alix’s fear of breaking her neck and ending up in a wheelchair were quite serious. No matter what those fears were, to each one of them, they were something they did not wish to face or even ponder the possibility of happening. Still, the more they saw their worst nightmares taking form in front of their eyes, the more fragile they felt.

“N-No… I tried to Manon! I really tried, you’ve got to believe me!” -Marinette

“You are the worst! I can’t even believe that you are a superhero! What kind of superhero let’s a little girl like me get kidnapped?!” -Manon snapped at Marinette.

The words coming out from Manon’s mouth felt like pieces of shrapnel sticking into Marinette’s heart. The worst part was that she felt like all of that was really all her fault. Being Ladybug, she was the one responsible for Madame Romani using Manon as live bait to get her. But then, as she sank further and further in her own guilt, it hit her… how could Manon know she was a superhero?

“ _How could she know that?! Answer, she couldn’t… Now I get it! This is all just a big trap to make me feel bad about myself!_ ” -Marinette told herself.

It did not take much for Marinette to understand that that was not the real Manon, and that everything else was nothing more than a hallucination. Realizing that, the little Manon that was in front of her disappeared and her clothes changed into her Ladybug outfit. When this happened, the surrounding around her began to shatter like glass, only to reveal a giant Madame Romani.

“You!” -Ladybug exclaimed. –I knew it, this is all just happening in my head!”

“I don’t believe it… you actually managed to break away from my hallucination!” -Madame Romani exclaimed, a little shocked. –“I was hoping to crack your mind, by showing you one of your worst nightmares, but it seems you are too powerful for that. No matter, I said I would reduce you and your friends to vegetables, so it doesn’t really matter how I do that, as long as you end up like that.” -she smirked.   

Attacking her with one of her illusions, Romani believed that she could easily win over Ladybug. They were in her domain, after all. Still, Ladybug believed that if she had been able to break free from the illusion the gypsy had placed her in, then her friends would also be able to do so. In fact, one by one, every other member of the Miraculous Team broke free from their respective illusionary trap, by either confronting their fears or seeing through the lies in front of their eyes.

“No! Dad may be many things, but he would never do me such a thing!” –Adrien said. –“He always wants what’s best for me, but he always has my feelings in account… and I know that he would never send me to another school, before discussing it with me. So, that means that this is all just an illusion!” -he exclaimed as his clothes turned back into his Chat Noir outfit, and his surroundings shattered into pieces.

“Screw you! I am the real Chloé Bourgeois, and let me tell you something! You’re nothing but cheap copies of the old me, because the old me never cared about anyone else, but herself!” -Chloé snapped at her living reflections. –“I’ve learned that I’m not the centre of the universe at all times, and that’s fine with me, because I rather have people who believe me, and who are there for me when I need the most, than to be alone, like you five! That’s right, I have friends, and you don’t! And furthermore, Sabrina is not some idiot who’s only good for doing my homework! She’s my best friend, and if you call her any different, I’ll rip you all to shreds!” -she yelled, as her clothes turned back into her Queen Bee outfit, and her copies, as well as the environment around her shattered.

“No, Rose would never say these things about me!” -Juleka exclaimed. –“She would never say them, and I was stupid for believing that could be true for even a split second!” -she said, as her clothes were replaced by her Corbeau Noire outfit, with the environment around her shattering into pieces.

“I’m so stupid! That wasn’t Juleka… the Juleka I love, more than anything in this world, she would never say those things to me!” -Rose exclaimed, as she stood up from chair she was in, and wiped her eyes. –“This is all just a stupid trick from that wench, and I’m not going to let her make fool out of me!” -she said, as her clothes turned into her Flamingo costume and the environment around her shattered into pieces.

One by one, all of them broke free from their illusions and joined Ladybug in her fight against the giant Madame Romani, which they all assumed was a personification of her psyche. Though she looked menacing, none of them dared for one second to ponder the slight hypothesis of her being able to defeat them.  

“You really went to a lot of trouble just to get rid of us with your own hands.” -Ladybug said, as she watched her friends joining the party. –“But, guess what… you got more than you bargained for, you wench!”   

That statement made Romani laugh like crazy, as she looked down on the scarlet heroine.  

“Got more than I bargained for?! Let me tell you this, missy… you are in my domain now. I give the orders around here, not you. And if I say that you are going to die here, that means that you can say your prayers and hope I be merciful, when I give you the coup de grace.” -the villainess laughed

With those words, Madame Romani grew taller, until she was as tall as 50 stories-building. Compared to her, they were the size of ants. Still, that did not stop them from facing her. As her roaring laughter echoed all over the place, the team combined their attacks, to stop her. Unfortunately, Romani’s attacks were too powerful. Once they managed to defeat one of the illusions she concocted, another two took its place. It did not take them long to see that if she kept doing that, they would run out of energy. If they hoped to defeat her in that plane of existence, they would need to subdue her first.

“Okay, it’s time to get real… Plan TS vs CA, everyone!” -Ladybug exclaimed.

“When you say Plan TS vs CA, you mean, Tony Stark vs Captain America, right?!” -Antelope asked her.

“You bet I do. Let’s make this giant witch fall!” -the scarlet heroine said.

The plan in question had been named like that, because it was devised by Arachnid and Antelope, due to their love of comics, and because it had been taken from one of the most iconic scenes in the Civil War movie. Ladybug and Arachnid were going to make use of their yo-yo and lasso, and wrapped them around Romani’s ankles, after which, Panda Rouge would use his sketching abilities to also aid them, by drawing a rope around her ankles, going up all the way to her knees. When that was done, Queen Bee would use her trompo to create a powerful twister that would force her to fall on her back. A real feat, worthy of David, when he faced Goliath.

Putting it into action, the remaining heroes also helped them, by using their abilities to either distract her, or make her fall. When the villainess fell, the ground shook like crazy, and every illusion she had created to battle the heroes, disappeared., as she too returned to her real size. With her down, Panda Rouge decided to also tie her hands and arms, so she would not try to get up or use her powers. As he used his pencil to draw ropes around her arms and hands, he told himself that this was a feat even a cowboy would be proud of.    

“Guess that wraps it up.” -Louve Grise said, as Madame Romani struggled to get lose.

“It does indeed.” -Queen Bee said. –“I can’t believe that this wench actually believed she could defeat us.”

“Well, she almost did.” -Carapace said. –“Luckily, we saw through her tricks, and ended up falling at our feet.”

Hearing that, Madame Romani could not help but to laugh once again. She still had not realized it, but she had lost that battle, yet, she believed it was not over.

“You… You pathetic ignorants! Do you really believe you won?!“ -the gypsy asked them.

“Yes, we did, and you know why? Because we stood together and because we saw through your lies.” -Forest Doe shot at her.       

“You tried to beat us by isolating us and make us think that we were alone, by setting us against our darkest fears and demons.” -Dragonfly said. –“But you know what? By doing that, you gave us enough strength to face them and realize that no matter what

“That’s why you lost, and you will always lose. Because you, your partner Reptile and your master… you are alone in all of this, while we are united against you all.” -Chat Noir said.

“And you can bet that we’ll always be united against your kind, no matter how many akumas you throw at us. We’ll be here, to beat the snot out of you.” -Rena Rogue told her.

“Game, set and match, you gypsy witch!” -Ladybug said, as a bright light fell from above, and enveloped all of them.


	23. Goodnight Manon

Manon kept running from the rabid dog Madame Romani had conjured to keep her away from her. Her little heart kept pounding inside her chest, fuelled by both fear, adrenaline and growls from that Rottweiler that had been trying to catch her for the past two minutes. She screamed and begged for someone to help her, as tears ran down her face, but no help came. Her heart was beating like a drum, and though her legs wanted to keep running away form that canine beast, her heart had a different opinion. She was about to collapse from exhaustion, when she heard something… a scream.

The scream came from none other than Madame Romani, who having lost the battle in the mental plane, screamed out of pain. The shock was so great that she fell on her back, as the tentacles disappeared, releasing the heroes, who too returned to the physical plane. Forest Doe, seeing Manon in trouble, fired one of her arrows which hit the nasty dog and made it disappear, as she little girl fell on her knees both panting and sobbing, afraid and tired of all that running.

Seeing Manon like that, Ladybug signalled the others to keep an eye on the gypsy witch, and wasted no time in checking in the little girl. Kneeling right beside her, she smiled, as she hugged her.

"L-Ladybug?" -Manon asked.

"Yeah, it's me, Manon." -Ladybug kept smiling at her.

"Y-You remember me?" -Manon asked surprised.

"Of course, I do silly. I always remember my fans' names." -Ladybug smiled, as she caressed Manon's cheeks with her fingertips. –"Are you alright?"

"Now I am." -Manon smiled, before she started to cry, burying her face in Ladybug's chest. –"T-Thank you, Ladybug, thank you." -she said, between sobs.

Manon kept sobbing, as Ladybug held her against her chest, gently rocking her. She tried to think of something to say, but felt that no matter what she said to Manon, it would not be enough to tranquilize or cheer her up. Instead, she kept rocking her in silence, feeling the warmth of her body against hers.

"It's okay, Manon. It's alright now. No one's going to hurt you." -Ladybug told herself, as she tightened her hug.

While she calmed down the little one, the rest of the team surrounded the vanquished villainess, who had not yet accepted defeat. If looks could kill, then right then, she would be able to smite the heroes with hers. She was boiling mad, and you could see it in her eyes.

"Game's over, Romani." -Rena Rogue said.

"That's Madame Romani for you, you brat!" -Romani yelled at the fox heroine.

"Now, let's see what we're going to do with you." -Grizzly Bear said. –"You know what, guys? We never really thought of what we would do with one of Hawk Moth's minions if we caught it." -he said.

"You're right, we never did." -Dragonfly said. –"I say we grab her by the hair and throw her into a police wagon, after we put her in a restraining-jacket, of course, with her hands tied up and her eyes blindfolded. We wouldn't want her to hypnotize anyone, now would we?" -she said.

"The police? Forget it. They would just put her in a cell, lock her up and throw away the key." -Antelope said, following Dragonfly's lead. –"I say we torture her, until she says where Hawk Moth's hideout is." -he suggested.

"Yeah, but too hard. We're the good guys here, not monsters like her." -Flamingo declared, though right then, because of the illusion she gave her, she just wanted to use her cane and beat her senseless with it.

Rising her left hand, Romani tried to attack the heroes, only to be stopped by Chat Noir, who used his staff to stop her from raising it, digging its tip on her hand. This made her squirm lightly.

"Uh-uh, no, no, bad Romani." -Chat Noir told her. –"You're not going to do anymore tricks this evening, you hear us?"

"Do whatever you want with me… unlike Reptile I won't run away like a cowardly snake!" -Madame Romani spat at them. –"But believe me… I won't tell you a single word. I won't betray my master!"

"Oh, yeah, then tell me this… where's you master, now?" -Queen Bee asked her.

"She's right, where is he?" -Rena Rogue insisted on the matter. –"I'll tell you where he is. He's hiding somewhere, watching you getting beaten by us, and he's not even going to lift a finger to save you, and you know why? Because you're expandable, that's why." -she said. She was trying to use reverse psychology on the gypsy, attempting to make her talk.

"Ha! Nice try, fox girl, but that trick won't work on me!" -Madame Romani said in a sarcastic tone. –"I'm not talking, and you ca start by breaking every bone in my body!"

"You know… we could totally grab her, tie a rope to her and then start beating her with a stick, like she was a piñata…" -Antelope suggested.

He had not yet finished talking, when Madame Romani disappeared in front of them, leaving them to wonder what had happened. At first, they thought it was a trick of hers, but then the flames surrounding the Grand Arche disappeared, and they gypsy woman did not return. They all presumed she had just fled away, leaving them to guess themselves. But what they did not know, was that she had not fled. Instead, she had been teleported by Hawk Moth back to the hideout, where he was expecting her. Hitting the ground hard on her back, it took her a couple of seconds to realize that happened. When she saw her master's face, she gulped hard, as she felt the blood in her veins freeze instantly.

"M-Master…" -she stuttered.

She knew she was in trouble. The way Hawk Moth looked at her with his icy-blue eyes, she knew he was not the least bit happy with her. She wanted to talk, but the terror and the fear took over her, leaving unable to move, much less talk.

"You failed me." -Hawk Moth told her with a neutral voice.

"M-Master…"

"I had to teleport you here, because you were at the mercy of those kids… I can't believe that you failed to bring me their miraculouses, as well as to kill them, once and for all." -the villain went on, as his voice became creepier and creepier by the minute.

"B-But, master… I was…"

"Silence!" -Hawk Moth snapped at her. –"Still, unlike Reptile there, you didn't run." -he said, as he pointed to the lizard man, who was hiding in one of the hideout's dark corners, still tending to his wounds.

"T-Thank you, master…"

"I didn't say that you would not be punished by your failure. I merely made an observation, and though your punishment will be less severe than his was, you will still regret having failed me." -Hawk Moth said, as the tip of his cane began to glow.

"N-No, master… please! No! No! NOOOOOOOOOOO!" -Madame Romani screamed, begging for mercy.

* * *

With Madame Romani gone and Manon safe, the heroes rejoiced, as Rena Rogue used the Ampulla Amulet to get their surroundings back to the way they were, before the mess Madame Romani caused. She figured she would use it, since Ladybug was a little busy with Manon, who had since stopped sobbing.

"There… I know I already asked you this, but are you sure you're alright?" -Ladybug asked Manon, always smiling. She wanted to make sure she did not have anything broken or bruised.

"Yes." -Manon answered. –"Thanks to you."

"Oh, thanks, but I had help, you know?" -Ladybug said, as signalled the rest of the team. Noticing that Madame Romani was nowhere to be seen, she asked where she was. –"Hey, where did Madame Romani went?"

"Your guess is as good as ours." -Dragonfly said.

"She just disappeared into thin air." -Corbeau Noire declared. –"Probably teleported herself out of here." -she said.

"That witch…" -Ladybug sighed. –"Well, at least she won't be bothering us anymore." -she said.

"How's our little guest?" -Rena Rogue asked her.

"Still a little scared from all of this. But she'll be fine." -Ladybug answered her, after which, she turned her attention to Manon. -"I don't know about you, but I think you should have been in bed by now. How about I take you home?"

"You will? Yeah!" -Manon laughed. If she had not seen it before, Ladybug would have never guessed that a few moments before, the little girl was crying.

"Okay, then, piggyback time." -Ladybug said, as Manon piggybacked on her back. –"I hate to run like that, but… can you guys take care of the interviews?" -she asked the team.

"Don't sweat it!" -Carapace said.

"Leave it to us." -Queen Bee told her.

"We can handle this, girl." -Rena Rogue winked at her.

"Yeah, we'll take it from here. You just get the kid home." -Louve Grise stated.

"Thanks. And remember, let's not mention Manon's name, okay?" -Ladybug remembered them.

"You got it, milady." –Char Noir winked at her.

With that, Ladybug was out of there, while the rest of the team stayed behind to talk to the press, as well as to guarantee the police and the army that everything was under control. And it did not take long for the media to jump the barricades and head to where the heroes were. They began to be bombarded with questions of all sorts, and had to make sure they heard them correctly, so as to not say anything they were not supposed to.

"Tell us, what was it that that crazy woman wanted?"

"What is the name of the child that was taken hostage by Madame Romani? Was it a boy or a girl?"

"How did you manage to defeat this Madame Romani?"

"Was she truly in cohorts with the terrorist Hawk Moth?"

"Please, please, one at the time, one at the time… please." –Rena Rogue asked the various journalists and television reporters.

"We'll answer all of your questions, just please be a little patient." -Panda Rouge declared.

* * *

Swinging from building to building, Ladybug tried to be as careful as possible, so that Manon would not fall. The little one had her arms around the heroine's neck, holding on as hard as she could. As they passed by the Arc du Triomphe, the heroine slowed down a little, so Manon could hold on to her a little better.

"Is everything okay, back there?" -Ladybug asked Manon, as the little girl tightened her arms around her neck.

"Yes." -she answered.

"Okay, Manon. Now, I know you're tired, but you'll have to help me out, okay? You have to tell me where do you live, so I can take you there." -Ladybug declared, as she swung past a bus.

"Do you know where Marinette lives?" -Manon asked her.

"No, I've never been there." -Ladybug told her.

"But you said the other day that you know both her and Alya." -Manon declared.

"And I do, but I never had the chance to be at the house of either one of them, sweetie." -Ladybug told her. –"But, why do you want to go to her place?"

"I'm staying at Marinette's, because my mommy is working." -Manon answered her.

"Oh, I see… and, when is she coming back?" -the heroine asked, trying to make conversation.

"She said, she would come back soon." -Manon said.

"And until then, you're living at Marinette's house, right?"

"Yes." -Manon waved her head.

"If that's so, then, tell me where she lives, and I'll take you there, okay? You think you can do that?"

Following Manon's instructions, Ladybug pretended not knowing her way home, so the little girl would not suspect that she and Marinette were the same person. To add some realism to the thing, she even landed on the wrong building at first, only to be told by Manon that it was not that building, but the other one across the street.

"It's not this one. It's the other one." -Manon pointed

"Sorry, I've been here before, remember?" -Ladybug chuckled.

Landing on the right building this time, she let Manon slide down her back, before turning to her.

"Well, here we are." -Ladybug said. –"Now, I don't think we should wake up Marinette or her parents. From what Madame Romani told us while we were fighting in her head, she made a double of you, so no one would know you were gone." -she told Manon. –"How about we do like all superheroes, and enter without anyone knowing?"

"Okay." -Manon said, amused with the idea.

"Alright, then, let's get you into your room. Where is the window?"

Telling her where it was, Ladybug grabbed Manon, and using her yo-yo, they both slid down the building's front, until they reached the window that belonged to the guest room. Opening it, Ladybug let Manon enter first, before entering herself, closing the window as slowly as possible behind her. The first thing she did was look for the switch from the bedside lamp, she knew was there. Turning it on, light flooded the room, allowing her and Manon to see what they were doing, as the little one sat on the bed.

"Well, here we are. Now, before we put you into bed, I've got something for you." -Ladybug said, as she closed her eyes and focused. A few seconds later, a small bottle with a greenish liquid appeared in front of her. Manon, seeing that trick clapped her hands, only to stop almost immediately, remembering that they were not supposed to make any noise. The bottle stood there, floating in mid-air, until the scarlet heroine grabbed it. –"Here we go."

"What is it?" -Manon asked Ladybug.

"It's some special medicine that I asked a friend of mine to do. It will make you sleep, without having bad dreams." -Ladybug explained her. Master Fu told her that Manon would have to drink the whole thing, and he also warned her that the taste was a little bitter. She had asked him if she could mix it with something else, to improve the flavour, but he said that if she did that, it would ruin the concoction. She would have to use some of form child psychology to persuade Manon to drink it, for she already knew how she would react to it.

"I have to drink that?" -Manon asked her.

"Yes."

Manon got up to see it closely, as well as smelling it, as Ladybug opened it. Smelling it, Manon wrinkled her nose, not liking the smell one bit. She did not know what it smelled like, but it was a strong smell that resembled fresh cut grass.

"No, it smells funny." -Manon said.

"I know it's not the most pleasant smell in the world, Manon, but, you're a big girl, right? And big girls eat and drink everything they put in their plates, right?" -Ladybug played with Manon, trying to make her drink the content of the bottle. –"I can promise you, that if you drink this, you won't dream of that evil lady, okay?"

"You mean it?"

"I do." -Ladybug said. –"Now, come on, drink this in just one gulp, like a big girl." -she smiled.

Though she did not like its smell or the way it looked, Manon quickly drank it in a single gulp. It tasted bitter, but she did not say it. Instead, she made a funny face. Smiling, Ladybug then helped her getting ready for bed. Once she had her jammies, the heroine helped Manon climb into the bed and tucked her in, making sure she was comfortable. She even grabbed the Tikki plushie Manon she had given her, and that was on top of the drawer, and placed it next to her.

"There, you want me to tell you story, before I go?"

"No…" -Manon yawned. –"I'm sleepy." -she said.

"Okay, then." -Ladybug said, as she caressed Manon's face and hair. –"Look, Manon, can I ask you a favour, before I leave? Could you keep what happened tonight a secret?"

"Why?" -Manon asked her, not understanding why the heroine asked her such a thing.

"Why? Well…" -Ladybug said, as she tried to come up with something to convince her not to tell a soul what had happened that night. –"… because if people knew you were taken by that bad lady, they would want to ask questions about it. Plus, Marinette and her parents could get into trouble, and your mom would not let you come back here." -she said. –"And you do like to play with Marinette don't you?"

"Yes, I do." -Manon said.

"And you want to keep playing with her, don't you?" -the scarlet heroine asked her, to which she waved her head. –"Well, then let's not tell anyone, including her what happened, okay? It will be our little secret."

"Okay." -Manon waved her head, as she yawned once more, her eyes feeling heavier and heavier. Ladybug had not told her, but the herbal concoction also caused the person who drank it to become incredibly sleepy.

"I guess you should go to sleep, then. Sweet dreams, my dear Manon. And remember, let's keep this our little secret okay?" -Ladybug winked at her.

"Okay." -Manon smiled, as Ladybug went to the window and readied herself to leave. She had already had one leg out the window, when Manon called her out. -"Oh, Ladybug, wait!"

"Yes, Manon?"

"Did Marinette told you about my request?" -the little girl asked her.

"Oh, you mean if I could go to your school, so your friends could also meet me? Yes, yes she did." -Ladybug told her. –"I'm sorry if I didn't had the time to tell her my answer, but I've been really busy." -she smiled. –"I would be very happy to meet your friends. In fact, I'll bring the rest of my team with me, so you can also meet them."

"When?" -Manon asked her.

"Soon. Very soon, I promise." -Ladybug said. –"Goodnight, Manon, and I'll see you quite soon." -she smiled, as she went out the window.

With Manon in bed, safe and sound, and with the promise of a night without nightmares, Ladybug sighed of relief, as she climbed up to the roof. Still, it was not until she was back in her room, that she felt like her job was over. Opening the trapdoor on the rooftop, she entered quietly, locking it behind her. Climbing down the stairs, she turned back into Marinette.

"What a night…" -Marinette sighed, as she sat on the chaise-longue, her whole-body aching. The worst part of saving the day, was that when she returned to normal, she would feel all her muscles crying out in agony.

"You should be proud of yourself, Marinette. Not only you saved the say, but you also saved Manon."

"I'm just happy that everything turned out for the best." -Marinette said, as she stretched her arms. –"I don't know what I would have done if something bad happened to Manon, Tikki."

"Well, now you don't have to anymore, because thanks to you, Manon is already asleep in her bed, dreaming about something beautiful." -Tikki answered her, as she smiled tenderly to Marinette. –"Like you said, everything turned out for the best, and it's all thanks to you."

"Maybe… but I know I wouldn't have been able to defeat that witch all by myself. The way she entered in my head, Tikki… for a moment there, I really thought that… well, it doesn't really matter what I thought. What matters is that I'm really lucky in having a team like I do, who never let's me down." -Marinette sighed.

"Well, if I may… you're lucky to have a team like I do, and your team is lucky in having a leader like you, Marinette." -Tikki told her. –"But right now, you deserve to rest. It's been quite the night."

"Tell me about it… the only downward from being a superhero, is that as soon as I revert back to my good old self, my body becomes all sore." -Marinette said, as she rubbed the back of her neck. –"Ouch, I think I sprained something."

"Wish I could help you with that, but unfortunately I don't have any healing powers of my own." -Tikki said.

"It's okay, Tikki. All I need is a goodnight sleep and I'll be feeling fresh as a daisy." -Marinette said, as she got up from the chaise longue, making her way to her bed. –"Right now, I'm so tired that I'm not even going to take off my clothes… too tired and lazy to do it.

Reaching the bed, the girl took off her shoes and jumped onto it. In a matter of seconds, she was sleeping. Tikki, also feeling exhausted, flew over and nuzzled herself against Marinette's neck and fell also asleep in a couple of seconds. They both had had a crazy night, and were both entitled to a few hours of sleep.


	24. The Cat's Out of the Bag

After fighting Madame Romani and answering every conceivable question from the reporters that interviewed them, the Miraculous Team followed their leader's example, and went home for some well-deserved sleep. Each one of them was bushed, both the holders and their kwamis, and as soon as they saw themselves in their rooms, they greeted their beds as if they were lifelong friends they had not seen in years, decades even. As soon as their heads touched the soft pillow, they closed their eyes and waved farewell to the world for a couple of hours.

But, there was one of the heroes who could not sleep. Rose was tired and her whole body ached, but no matter what she did, she just could not fall asleep. Tossing and turning in her bed, she got tired of not being able to sleep, so she sneaked to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of milk. She had always heard that a glass of warm milk was the perfect remedy for an insomnia, and ever since she was little that a glass of warm milk was the only thing she needed to fall asleep and enter in the valley of the sheets. Unfortunately, this time, it did not work. She kept trying all tricks she could think of, but she just could not sleep.

"Girl, just try to close your eyes and wait…" -Flint told her. –"I can't sleep with you making all that noise!" -the flamingo kwami said. –"I don't know how your parents can sleep with you walking around the house."

"I'm sorry, Flint, but I just can't sleep." -Rose told him. –"I've got my mind in a buzz."

"And by any chance, is that buzz being caused by a certain Goth girl?" -Flint asked her deadpanned. –"Come on, Rose, you already admitted to yourself that you like her, so why don't you just do it?!"

"I… I… I don't know… after tonight, a part of me is… unsure of what to think." -Rose admitted.

"Are you seriously talking about that scene that happened inside your mind, with Juleka calling you a freak?!" -Flint asked her. –"Girl, I was there with you… maybe not physically, but psychically speaking, and I'm telling you, that was just an illusion created from your worst fears." -he said. –"That was just that witch trying to mess with your head, nothing more."

"I know that!" -Rose sighed. –"But I still can't shake that feeling that the outcome of that illusion might have some truth in it."

"Hogwash! That will never happen, and you know why?!" -Flint exclaimed, already fed up of seeing his holder second-guessing about her feelings for Juleka, decided to tell her the truth, when he stopped himself from saying it. –"Uh… because… because that was all that gypsy witch's doing. She wanted to hurt you, so she showed you what you feared most." -he said, sighing to himself for almost spilling the beans.

There was an awkward silence in the air for a couple of seconds. Rose did not utter a single word, so Flint decided to break that silence, by saying the only thing he could think of.

"Look, may I suggest something?" -Flint asked.

"Yes." -Rose waved her head.

"Why don't you tell her what you feel… right now?""

"Right now?" -Rose asked him, a little surprised. –"You mean, right now, right now?" -she asked.

"Yeah, right now, right now." -Flint said. –"Call her, or better yet, transform into Flamingo and go to her place. Tell her that you love her and see how she reacts. The worst it can happen is her saying no, and telling you that she just sees you as a friend, right?" -he told her.

"Right." -Rose said, admitting that possibility to herself. Still, every cell in her body wished that would not be the case, and that Juleka loved her the same way she did. Clenching her firsts in determination, she got up from bed, and turned her head to Flint. –"You're right. It's time to do this. I'm going to tell her just how I feel, right now, Flint."

"That's the spirt, girl." -Flint told her. –"Just say the magic words…"

Flint had not finished that sentence, when there was a knocking on the window, which startled both Rose and the kwami.

"Uh? Did you hear knocking, or am I just imagining things?" -Rose asked her kwami.

"No, you aren't imagining things. I heard it too." -Flint said. –"I think it's coming from the window." -said, as he turned his eyes to the window.

As he finished talking, there was another knock on the window. Wondering what could be doing that, Rose decided to check it. To her surprise, when she opened the curtains, who should be there, but the girl who made the blonde's heart beat faster, whenever she saw or thought about her, waving at her.

"Juleka?!" -Rose exclaimed, as she saw her friend on the other side of the window, wearing her hero outfit, waving silently at her.

"Rose, can I come in?" -Corbeau Noire asked her. –"I… I need to talk to you." -she declared.

"No… I mean, yes, no… I mean, hold on. I'll meet you up on the rooftop in a couple of minutes, okay?"

To say that that caught Rose off guard was almost a euphemism. She did not expect Juleka to come knocking at her window in the middle of the night, and now she felt just like Marinette, whenever someone mentioned Adrien's name. Her head, already in a buzz, now felt like there was a twister of thoughts and feelings inside it. She did not know what to do, and it was necessary for Flint to give her a hand, handling that situation.

"What do I do? What do I do?!" –Rose panicked, as she placed her hands on her hand. –"And better yet, what do I say to her?!"

"Well, first, don't leave her hanging." -Flint said deadpanned. –"And second, just say what's in your heart. It works every time." -the pink kwami stated.

"But what if I say the wrong words?!" -Rose asked him. She was really panicking.

"You won't, kiddo." -Flint said, as he flew over to Rose, stopping in front of her eyes. –"Remember, just talk from your heart and everything will be fine." -he winked at her. –"Now go on, say the magic words and go upstairs win the heart of that very special girl!"

Rose could not help but to chuckle with that comment of Flint. Smiling, she winked back at him, as she said the magic words and her nightgown was replaced by her Flamingo outfit. Smiling confidently, she stepped out the window and propelled herself into the night sky. On the rooftop, the Goth girl was waiting for her. Waving at her, as Flamingo began her approach, she landed just a couple of feet from her. She did not notice immediately, but Corbeau Noire was also very nervous.

"Hey!"

"H-Hey…" –Corbeau Noire waved back at Flamingo.

"S-So… what's going on? I-Is something wrong?" -Flamingo asked her.

"N-No, e-everything's okay." -Corbeau told her. –"It's just… I-I needed to talk to you, and it couldn't wait until tomorrow or Monday." -she tilted her head to the left. The girl always did that when she was nervous about something, and Flamingo noticed it.

"I-I also needed to talk to you too." -Flamingo said. –"I-I… I can't do this! Not with this outfit." -she sighed. –"Just give me a moment to change to my normal clothes."

Saying that, Flamingo reverted to her civilian form. Looking at her, Corbeau Noire did the same. What she wanted to talk was too serious to be said while they were both in their superhero outfits. Their kwamis knowing what was going to happen, decided to step away and let the girls talk alone. They were both nervous, afraid to say what they really meant. Still, no matter how nervous they were, they were sure of what they were feeling. Now, if only they could muster up the courage to put what they were feeling into words, that would be amazing, because then, they would be able to tell one another the truth of their feelings. Nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof, Juleka decided to be the first to talk.

"L-Look… I don't know how to say this… m-maybe you should say what you wanted to say first, okay?" –the Goth girl hesitated. She was afraid of what Rose's reaction could be. She did not know what the blonde wanted to talk to her, but she was sure it would be easier for her to talk about it.

"O-Okay. J-Juleka… Jules… I… I… I don't even know to say this either, so… so I'll just talk from the bottom of my heart, okay?" -Rose said, as looked Juleka in the eyes. –"You know that we've been friends ever since that day you first came to our school, right? You remember that don't you?" -she asked her, as to which Juleka waved her head. –"Well, since that day we've been friends… the best of friends. But, something changed…"

As Rose went on, something in Juleka's brain popped, making light of the situation. She realized what the blonde was doing, and that that it was the same thing she was also attempting to do. She was confessing her feelings to her. When she realized that, every string of fear that could exist inside her, disappeared. Her desire was to jump into Rose's arms and kiss her, but she controlled herself, and let the blonde finish talking.

"… something changed over this last summer. When we were at the summer camp, I found myself… developing other feelings for you…" -Rose went on, as tears began to slide down her face. –"… and… and I can't do this!"

Rose began to cry, her emotions getting the best of her. She knew what she wanted to tell Juleka, but she was both afraid and unsure of what she would say, once she knew the truth. The tears kept rolling down her face, as she fell to her knees, continuing to sob uncontrollably. Flint, seeing this, wanted to go to her and calm her down, but Tamara, stopped him from doing this, by pointing out to Juleka, who smiled, as she approached the beautiful blonde. Kneeling in front of her, the Goth girl smiled tenderly, as she caressed Rose's face.

"There, there. It's okay. Take a deep breath, and wipe your tears with this. You know I hate to see you crying." -Juleka said, as she pulled a handkerchief she had with her. She had brought it with her for just such occasion.

Doing what the raven-haired girl told her, Rose took several deep breaths, while trying to stop crying. Still panting, she dried her tears on the handkerchief Juleka gave her. The Goth girl did not utter a single word. She did not want to force her to talk anything before she felt she was ready to talk.

"Juleka… I-I'm sorry…" -Rose apologized.

"For what?" -Juleka kept smiling.

"For… For…" -Rose stuttered

"Hold on." -Juleka placed her hand on Rose's face, sweetly caressing her right cheek. –"I know I told you that you should say what you wanted to say first… but, allow me to say what I have to say first." -she smiled.

Saying that, Juleka leaned forward and kissed Rose sweetly on her lips. When their lips touched for a split second, it felt to both girls like time stopped. Breaking the kiss, Juleka smiled and said.

"I guess, what I'm trying to say, and I hope it's also what you're trying to say as well, is that… I love you, Rose." -she declared, as a single tear ran down her face.

"I… I love you too, Juleka." -Rose began to cry again, only this time, her tears were not tears of sadness. Instead, they were tears of happiness.

Not able to contain her happiness, Rose gently pulled Juleka for another kiss. This second kiss, unlike the first which was more like a peck on the lips, was a far longer kiss, where the girls' tongues touched each other, as their lips blended together. They both wished that moment could last forever, but their need for air prevented that.

"I… I…" -Rose stuttered in a shock.

"Don't say anything. Just hold me." -Juleka said, as she hugged her. –"I just want you to hold me, Rose."

Smiling, Rose did as she was told. Holding her as tight as she could, the girl felt Juleka's heart pounding in her chest, against hers. She could not explain it, but something about it, felt like magical. At the same time, something since her own chest, which she could only classify as love kept growing. She had not felt like this since she became Flamingo for the first time. And the same thing could be said for Juleka.

"Does this mean… we're girlfriends?" -Rose asked innocently.

"Maybe… If you want us to be." -Juleka giggled.

"Then, I guess we're girlfriends." -Rose smiled, as she kept hugging Juleka.

"I like the sound of that, you know?" -Juleka admitted. It was going to take a little while for her to fully get used to calling Rose her girlfriend, but it would be something she was going to enjoy.

"Are we going to tell the others about us?" -Rose asked her.

"No, not just yet. I want this to be our secret… at least for a little bit." -Juleka said. –"I want you just for myself." -she said with a slightly possessive voice.

"Do you think our friends will have a problem with our relationship?" -Rose asked, as she inhaled the sweet scent of Juleka's hair conditioner.

"No, I don't think so." -Juleka answered honestly. –"They are our friends, after all. They might find it odd at first, but they'll end up understanding."

"Even Chloé?"

"I think so too. She might be many things, but she's definitely not homophobic… and, she's starting to act nicer with each passing day, so I think we don't have to worry about her reaction." -the Goth girl answer her.

As they talked, a chilly breeze started to blow from the west, making both girls shiver, and forcing them to hug each other tighter.

"It's getting a little chilly." -Rose commented. –"I guess we shouldn't have come out into the street with nothing but our nightgowns."

"I'm actually wearing pyjamas, but I know what you're trying to say." -Juleka chuckled. –"You want to go in?"

"No, the cold doesn't bother me. Let's stay here just a couple of more minutes, before you have to go home." -Rose said.

"Okay." -Juleka said.

Seeing such a cute scene, Tamara could not help but to give Flint a "I told you that we did not need to tell them anything, and that in the end, everything would work out fine" look, only for Flint to give him a "Yeah, yeah, you were right, and I was wrong, but I'm glad I was wrong" look. The truth was, both kwamis were happy for the two girls, and just like Rose and Juleka, they were going to keep their relation a secret from everyone, including their own fellow kwamis. They believed the girls deserved to choose when to tell everyone about it.

* * *

Morning arrived faster than Marinette wished for. Having forgotten to turn off her alarm clock, she was awakened by its infernal noise, when this one displayed 8 o'clock in its display screen. Lazily, she stretched her right arm to snooze it. Doing it, she turned to the side and fell asleep once more, almost squishing Tikki, who woke up and was forced to get out of the way, before Marinette turned her into a pancake. Feeling still a little sleepy the scarlet kwami lied next to Marinette and went back to dreamland. On that morning, they had earned the right to be lazy.

It was not until 10 o'clock that both finally awakened, feeling totally refreshed. Stretching her arms, Marinette felt like those extra two hours of sleep had done the trick. She was still a little sore in her shoulders, but it was nothing she could not handle. She knew that the best thing for sore shoulders was a nice warm bubble bath… something she intended to have, before heading down to eat some breakfast.

"Good morning, Tikki. Did you sleep well?"

"Aside from you almost squishing me when the alarm clock went off, yes, I did." -Tikki answered her, as she playfully sat on Marinette's shoulder.

"Oh, sorry… I must have been really sleepy for not noticing you were sleeping right beside me." -Marinette told her. –"Let me make it up to you, by making you something delicious for breakfast. What do you say?"

"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" -Tikki chirped.

"I am… pancakes with blueberries and ice cream." -Marinette said, smiling. –"Unless you want me to makes crepes instead."

"Can I have both?" -Tikki giggled.

"Well… I don't know…" -Marinette smirked evilly. –"Oh, alright, I'll make you both." -she giggled, as she watched the little kwami's eyes filling with joy and happiness. –"Let me just take a bath first, okay?"

"Okay." -Tikki chuckled, as Marinette went to grab a bath towel from the drawer.

* * *

After the bath, Marinette not only felt more relaxed, but she also felt like she was ready for anything the world could through at her. Putting on her favourite Jagged Stone concert t-shirt and a pair of pink shorts, she went downstairs to make the special breakfast she promised Tikki. Heading down the stairs, she heard the television was on in the living room. It did not take much for her to guess that Manon was already awake, watching her favourite Saturday morning cartoons, while Tom and Sabine were downstairs in the bakery.

Seated on a pillow and with a bowl of cereal to her right, Manon was practically glued to the screen, as she watched My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Marinette also loved the series, so she understood why she was so close to it. She did not want to lose a single second of it. Marinette could not help but to smile, while thinking that if the little girl was there, happily watching cartoons, it meant that the herbal concoction Master Fu had made to prevent Manon from having nightmares after what she went through had worked. Sneaking up on her, Marinette decided to play a prank on her.

"Boo, you little minx!" -Marinette said, as she began to tickle her.

"S-Stop it, Marinette… (laughs)… stop it!" -Manon exclaimed between laughs, as Marinette kept tickling her.

"Slept well?" -Marinette asked her, as she stopped tickling her.

"Yes. I dreamt of unicorns and princesses." -Manon giggled.

"I'm glad to hear that." -Marinette said. –"Look, I'm going to make crepes and pancakes for breakfast. You want some?"

"Yes!" -Manon exclaimed. She loved Marinette's pancakes. –"Can I help?"

"Sure, why not?" -Marinette answered her. Most of the times, Marinette would have said no, because if she let the little girl help her, she would take longer to do it. But on that day, she decided she wanted some help, even if in the end that meant she would have to clean up a big mess.

Opening the kitchen cabinets, Marinette grabbed all of the ingredients she needed form there, while Manon went to the fridge and brought with her the eggs and the milk. As they poured the ingredients into a mixing bowl and stirred them until they turned into a homogenous batter, Marinette told Manon the first time she had made pancakes with her mom.

"You should have seen it… there was more batter in my clothes than in the mixing bowl." -the blue-haired girl chuckled, remembering those fond memories.

"Were they good?"

"Very good." -Marinette smiled. –"But these here will also taste very good, you'll see." -she said, as she finished whisking the mix. –"I guess it's ready. What do you want to try first, Manon? The crepes or the pancakes?"

"The pancakes!" -Manon chuckled.

"Alright, then let's make some pancakes."

Tired of waiting for Marinette to come back with their breakfast, Tikki decided to check on her. Going through the trapdoor, the little ladybug kwami made her way down the stairs, always on the lookout for anyone who could show up out of the blue. Drawn by the sound of laughter and giggles, she made her way through the corridor, passing by the living room, where she saw the television on, and onto the kitchen, from where the laughs and the giggles were coming from. Recognizing Manon's laughter, she pressed herself to the door jamb, and very slowly, she peeked out to see what was going on. Seeing Marinette was accompanied, she remained hidden, watching her and Manon cooking.

"Alright, here's the first one." -Marinette said, as she finished the first pancake and placed it on a plate. –"Let's make a couple more, okay?"

"Okay. And don't forget, I want…"

"I know, you want chocolate syrup on yours. Don't worry, I won't forget." -Marinette said.

Watching them having fun, plus the delicious smell from the pancakes, made Tikki wish she could just show up and join them. Still, she knew that would not be possible. No one should know about her existence, except the miraculous holders, for their own safety. Luckily, there was one thing about every kwami that worked to their advantage, when it came to hide. They found out, one afternoon, when the kids tried to snap a selfie with all of them, that they did not show up on video or on photographs. They did not know why that happened. Not even Master Fu knew that. But, he theorized that it might have been because they were magical creatures, and somehow their magical aura did not allow their image to be caught on film.

While thinking that was a little bit of a bummer, the truth was that in a time where anyone could photograph or record just about anything, anywhere, it was a good thing they did not show up on photos or videos, allowing them to keep their existence a secret, without having to worry about being caught or people having proof of them. All the same, right then, Tikki really wished the rules were not like that.

" _Those pancakes look really good._ " -Tikki told herself. –" _I just hope she doesn't forget to make enough for me… I'm so hungry I could eat a whole stack of pancakes._ " -she giggled to herself.

After making a giant stack of pancakes, Marinette went on to make a few crepes. The art of making crepes is something one takes years to master. Fortunately, Marinette had the best teachers in all of Paris, her parents. While Sabine taught her to make pancakes, it was Tom who taught her to make crepes. If it was not for his infinite patience and love for teaching, Marinette would have not learned how to make such delicious crepes. He taught her every little secret to make them irresistible.

"Mmm… it smells so good, doesn't it, Manon?" -Marinette asked her.

"Yes." -Manon smiled.

"How many more do you want?" -Marinette asked, as she made another crepe.

"Twenty! I love your crepes!" -Manon giggled, clapping her hands.

"Twenty? Don't you think you'll get a tummy ache is you eat all of that?" –Marinette asked her in a playful tone. –"How about I make you just two more, and then put a scoop of ice cream on it?"

"Rocky road ice cream?" -the little girl asked her. Rocky road was her favourite ice cream flavour.

"Why not?" -Marinette chuckled.

When she finally finished making the crepes, Marinette went to the cooler and brought the ice cream with her. Scooping two balls she placed one in her

There was silence, whiel the two of them tried both the pancakes and the crepes. Like always, Marinette had outdid herself once more. Her pancakes were both fluffy and just the right thickness, while her crepes were

"Actually, I have something to tell you…" -Manon told Marinette.

"Oh, yeah? What is it?"

"I didn't dream with unicorns and princesses." -Manon said with a serious voice.

"You didn't?" -Marinette said. –"Don't tell me that that concoction didn't work and she had a nightmare?" -she thought to herself. –"Then, what did you dream about?"

"I dreamt about you."

"About me?" -Marinette smiled, a little surprised.

"Yes, about how you saved me last night… when you were Ladybug."

When she heard that, Marinette choked on a piece of pancake. Coughing loudly, she had to drink a bit of water to get it to slide down her throat.

"When I saved you? What are you talking about, Manon?" -Marinette giggled, trying not to show just how much that sentence had caught off guard. –"I didn't save you."

"Yes, you did. You saved me last night." -Manon smiled. –"You taught a lesson to that bad lady who took me, and then you brought me back, gave me that thing to drink to help me sleep and tucked me into bed." -she declared, as she ate a bite of her crepe.

"Manon. I think you might have dreamt the whole thing…" -Marinette told her.

"No! You are Ladybug and I'm going to prove it!" -Manon smiled.

When the little girl said that, both Marinette and Tikki, who remained hidden, wondered how she was going to prove such a thing. They both waited to see what she was going to do. Getting out of her seat at the table, Manon approached Marinette and asked her to lean towards her. Doing what she was asked, the little girl then caressed Marinette's face with her right hand, describing an "M" on her cheek.

"That's why you're Ladybug." -Manon smiled. –"The way you touched my face, it's the same. Plus, you both have the same blue eyes and you both smell like fresh-baked cookies." -she went on smiling.

"Manon… there are a lot of people who do that with their hands, and there are many people who have blue eyes and smell like cookies." -Marinette told her, trying to fool her, so she would not

"Maybe, but my mom always said, "There are no such things as coinci… coinci…"

"Coincidences, Manon." -Marinette said.

"Yes! And that's why you are Ladybug!" –Manon told her. –"Oh, and I almost forgot… if I do this…" -she said, as she placed her hands over the upper part of Marinette's face, arraigning her fingers to form a sort of mask around her eyes, like the one the blue-haired girl wore when she was Ladybug. –"See? The mask fits perfectly! You are Ladybug! You are Ladybug! My babysitter is Ladybug!"

Marinette was having a hard time to convince Manon that she was not Ladybug, and the more she tried, the deeper the whole she was getting herself on became. Seeing what was going on, Tikki asked herself how they were going to dig themselves out of that mess. And the more she thought about it, the more doubts she had. At first, she wondered how Manon had connected the dots to reach that brilliant conclusion, and how they were going to be able to prove her wrong. Thinking as quickly as she could, Tikki analysed all the possibilities, and quickly concluded that there was only one thing to do… tell her the truth.

" _I know it's going against regulations and all… but, it's not like it's the first time someone actually discovers one of the holders' real identities. If she tells someone about Marinette, they'll probably won't believe her, but if by chance or fate, Reptile or Madame Romani, or even Hawk Moth himself happen to hear her say that, or hear it from someone whom might have heard her say it, they might actually find out about Marinette… screw it! Might as well tell her truth, and then deal with it, at this point._ " -Tikki thought to herself.

As Tikki flew to help Marinette, the blue-haired girl continued to deny she was Ladybug to Manon, who kept insisting she was.

"Manon, I'm telling you, I'm not Ladybug." -Marinette said playfully. –"Do you really think that someone as clumsy and shy as me could really be Ladybug?"

"Well, Superman is brave and strong, but when's Clark Kent he's clumsy and shy. So, you can also be both." -Manon smiled, while giving that example that was perfectly acceptable, when you thought about it.

"She's one smart cookie, Marinette." -Tikki said, as she stopped in front of the two girls. –"Might as well tell her the truth."

"YOU! You can talk! You made me a talking doll who also flies! Is that one of your other powers?!" -Manon immediately

"No, no, no, Manon. I am no doll. My name is Tikki and I am Marinette's kwami. Pleased to meet you." -Tikki smiled, as she bowed in front of Manon's eyes.

"Tikki? That's a funny name!" -Manon giggled. –"You're a kwami? What is a kwami?"

Seeing her kwami show up out of nowhere and starting to talk with Manon, Marinette went into shock, while almost having a heart attack at the same time. Tikki was always stating that no matter what, she and the rest of the miraculous holders, could not tell anyone about their secret identities, not only for their own safety, but also for the safety of their family and friends, who could get caught in the crossfire, if the forces of evil would one day find out about them. And now, she was literally blabbering her mouth to Manon.

"Tikki! What are you doing?!" -Marinette exclaimed. Her wish was to ask her if she was crazy, but the shock of seeing her talking to Manon as if it was the most normal thing in the world, was a little too much for her to process it.

"Don't worry, Marinette, I know what I'm doing." -the kwami said.


	25. Manon, the Keeper of the Secret

Still baffled and shocked by what her kwami had done, Marinette kept watching as Tikki talked to Manon, explaining her who she was, and what Marinette's mission as Ladybug was, while also praising the little girl on her intelligence and deductive abilities. The whole scene was as surreal as one could imagine, and it was happening right there in Marinette's kitchen. The only thing left there was for her parents to also show up and join the conversation. And while this happened, the food was getting cold and the ice cream was melting.

"Oh, I see…" -Manon said.

"You understand now what I'm telling you, sweetie?" -Tikki asked her. –"You can't tell anyone about us."

"Yes." -Manon waved her head in compliance.

"See, Marinette?" -Tikki said, as she turned her attention to the blue-haired girl. –"Everything just turned out okay."

"Tikki…" -Marinette said, still without words.

"Believe me, telling her the truth was the best thing to do." -the kwami told her. –"There was nothing you could do to convince her of the opposite. Plus, I did this for your own good. If she started to tell everyone you were Ladybug, most people would not believe her, because she's just a little kid, but…"

"But there was always the chance of someone might actually believe her." -Marinette said. There was no way to argue against logic, and Tikki was right. All it would take was one person to find out if what little Manon was talking about was true or not.

"Exactly. Now that she knows the truth, we can ask her to keep it a secret." -Tikki stated. –"And you'll keep it a secret, won't you, Manon?"

"Yes!" -Manon smiled. But the smile she made was not her usual smile. It was her devious smile; the one she would use whenever she wanted something, and Marinette knew she was going to ask for something in return. –"But…"

"But you want something in return, don't you?" -Marinette asked her. –"How can a sweet little girl like her be such a little weasel at times?" -she asked herself. –"What is it that you want?"

"I want three things!" -Manon exclaimed, as her devious smile broadened and broadened by the minute. –"First, I want to meet the rest of the team. Second, I want you to make me plushies of all the heroes in the team, including you. And third, I want to go on patrol with you, as Ladybug… just like they do on superhero movies." -she stated.

Having in account some of the things Manon would usually ask when she threw a tantrum, the things she asked to keep her silence were pretty acceptable. The part about Marinette having to make her plushies of the whole team was a little too much, but still acceptable. Sighing, Marinette waved her head.

"Okay, deal. I'll make you the plushies and take you on a ride. Just don't know when yet. As for meeting the rest of the team, you can meet them when we go to your school, one of these days." -Marinette said.

"No, no, no! I want to meet them as they are when they're not wearing the outfits!" -Manon told her.

When Marinette and Tikki realized what she was asking them for, they both gulped. One thing was for her to know Marinette's secret. Another was knowing the secret of the remaining team. They of course could not say yes to that, because it was not their right to promise something like that. They tried to convince her to ask for something else, but Manon was inflexible. She wanted to meet the rest of the team in their civilian identities, and there was no way she was going to trade that for anything else. Tikki even tried to change her mind, by proposing to show her some cool magic tricks, but it was pointless. If there was one thing about Manon right then, was that she had them in the palm of her hands.

"Manon, isn't there any other thing we can get you or do for you?" -Tikki asked her.

"No, I want to meet them." -Manon giggled evilly.

"Can we give you an answer a little later?" -Marinette asked her.

"Okay. But I want an answer until the end of the day." -Manon told her with an innocent voice.

* * *

Both Marinette and Tikki were in a pickle, and did not know how they were going to get out of it. What Manon had asked them was something they could not promise her would happen. But they had to come up with a solution to it, because for better or for worse, they were at the mercy of Manon in a way.

Having no other choice, Marinette contacted Master Fu for help. She remembered he had managed to hypnotize Adrien's bodyguard a couple of times before, so, he could do the same thing with Manon. If so, he could make her forget. Over the phone, he said that this should be talked in person and asked her to meet him at his place after lunch, if possible.

After lunch, Marinette asked her mom to keep an eye on Manon, telling her that Alya had called asking her for help with something she was going that afternoon, and she was going to help her. Exiting her place, she ran as fast as she could to Master Fu's home. Usually they would meet at the Garden of the Ancients, but this time he insisted on meeting at his place.

Though it was a cloudy day, it was quite stuffy. Not the kind of day one would predict, after the previous night that was both cold and windy. And for Marinette, who was sweating like a sinner in church because of her nerves, it felt like it was the middle of the Summer. As she walked, she kept asking herself what they were going to do regarding Manon. She had given them an ultimatum, and though both her and Tikki believed she was not going to do anything with what she knew, they both knew they had to solve that mess.

" _I hope Master Fu knows what to do, because I sure don't._ " -Marinette thought to herself, as she crossed a treadmill. –" _Maybe I should have called Alya first and ask her what I should do… no… I know I can always count on Alya for everything, but this is something only Master Fu can help me with._ " -she kept thinking to herself.

Arriving at Master Fu's, she rang the bell, and almost instantly the old man answered. He greeted her with a smile, which she felt was strange given their current predicament. She was expecting him to scold her and Tikki for what happened, while telling Tikki that what she did was utterly irresponsible and inadmissible. But he did no such thing. Instead, he smiled and invited them both for tea. Like always, he said that a cup of tea was the best remedy for most problems, because as a person drank it, it gave it the time to think about the problem itself and the possible solutions for it. Given her nervousness, the old master served Marinette some Lemon balm tea, while he decided to drink some chamomile tea.

"Thanks, master." -Marinette said, as she sipped the tea.

"My pleasure, my dear." -Master Fu smiled. –"It's always a pleasure to see you and Tikki. By the way, are the cookies to your liking?" -he asked the

"Yes, very much, master." -Tikki smiled, as she nibbled one.

"I'm sorry for saying this master, and don't think that I'm not happy you're not yelling and screaming at both me and Tikki because of what happened, but, we're in a pickle here." -Marinette told him.

"Marinette… you know what I've learned over the years? I've learned that yelling, shouting and screaming don't solve anything. If they did, then every last politician in the world would solve any kind of problem by shouting at people." -Master Fu told Marinette with a kind voice. –"Shouting and screaming are a good way to relieve yourself from stress, but it's a lousy way to solve problems." -he said. –"Besides, from what you told me, you had no other option."

"Tikki did what she did to protect me, and Manon too. But now…"

"Now, she knows about her." -Tikki sighed.

"And you think she'll say anything?" -Master Fu asked her.

"No." -Marinette said. –"I mean, I don't think so. Manon is many things, but she would never start to say that I'm Ladybug just for the sake of it."

"If that's so, then, I don't see why you are so worried, my dear." -the old man told her.

"I'm worried because she demanded that I arrange for her to know the rest of the team, but in their civilian forms… and I can't do that, without revealing my friends' identities, master." -Marinette said. –"Can't you… you know, hypnotize her and make her forget that she found out that I'm Ladybug?" -she asked the old man.

"I'm afraid I can't, Marinette." –Master Fu answered her.

"You can't because you think it's wrong, or because you really can't?"

"Because I really can't. My hypnotizing powers allow me to convince a person of something for a short period of time, but they aren't strong enough to make someone believe something else to be entirely true permanently." -Master Fu explained. –"Believe me, if my powers allowed me to do what you are asking me, then I would gladly use them to help you." -he said, as he sipped from his cup.

"In other words, he can't make Manon forget that you are Ladybug." -Tikki said. -"It's my fault this is happening." -the little kwami sighed. –"I shouldn't have showed myself and let you deal with it."

"Don't blame yourself, Tikki. I should have been more assertive… heck, if I had come up with a believable excuse or a plan to prove to Manon that Ladybug and I were two different people, instead of just staying there and watching Manon throw all those proofs she had on me…" -Marinette said, as she imagined a what-if scenario, where she would have called Alya to show up as Rena Rogue and use her illusionary powers to create a fake Ladybug to pose right next to her.

"Maybe… but I'm not absent from blame here." -Tikki sighed. –"I thought that if we told her the truth, it would be enough for her, but in the end… I just ended up making matters worse."

Hearing them talk like that, one would think they were blaming themselves for a natural catastrophe or something similar. Still, Master Fu did not utter a single word, letting them talk among themselves. It was not until he felt that they had

"Well, now that you both have let that out of your system, maybe we can work together to find a solution to this predicament." -Master Fu said. –"I mean, it's not like Hawk Moth had taken over the world." -he tried to make them laugh, but without much result. –"What we have here is something quite simple… we have a little girl who knows the real identity of one of Paris' superheroes, and wishes to know the real identities of the rest of them as well."

When he said, Tikki understood where the old master was going, but remained silent. She felt it was best not to interrupt him before he said what he had to say.

"If that is her wish, then, I suggest that we give her just what she's asking for." -Master Fu said.

"Wait, you don't mean?" -Tikki said.

"Oh, yes, I do." -Master declared.

"But, master, isn't she too… young?" -Tikki pointed out.

"Maybe, but like you two said, when you described her, she's a very smart little girl." -Master Fu said. –"And if she found out about Marinette's identity, who's to say she won't find out about the others in time."

Not understanding what the two of them were talking about, the blue-haired girl decided to interrupt them, hoping to find out just what they were talking about.

"Uh, excuse me, but what exactly are you talking about? What is it that Manon's too young for?" -Marinette asked them.

"Master Fu wants her to be a keeper of the secret; Marinette." -Tikki answered her.

"Keeper of the secret? Okay, now I'm a little lost." -Marinette declared.

"Allow me to explain, Marinette." -Master Fu declared. –"Over the millenniums, there were individuals who through their intelligence or just plain old luck, managed to discover the identities of certain miraculous holders. Manon just happens to be the latest one." -he went on. –"When that happened, these individuals were invited to be part of, let's call it, a selected group of people who knew the holders' secret identities, their hideouts, in sum, they became guardians of the holders and the power they possessed. And these guardians, they could frequently help them by providing shelter, information, a distraction in case they needed to infiltrate a place, among other things."

"So, in other words, they were like people who were there for the heroes if they needed them, and who followed them… like groupies."

"If you want to put it that way, then yes, they were." -Master Fu asserted with his head.

"But most of them were adults, Master Fu. Manon is just a little girl." -Tikki stated the obvious.

"True, but as you said, a very smart little girl." -Master Fu said. –"Plus, it was never specified that the keepers of the secret had to be of a certain age, Tikki." -he declared.

"Then, by making her a keeper of the secret… I could keep my promise of letting her meet the others." -Marinette said. -"But, don't the others have a say in this? I mean, I know I'm the leader and all, and it was me who Manon found out about, but… I can't decide for them. It wouldn't be right."

"Spoken like a true leader." -Tikki chuckled.

"And you're right. They should have a word about this, though I think I know what their answer will be." -Master Fu said.

"And what will be that answer, master?"

"It will be yes, obviously." -Master Fu chuckled. –"But, then again, that might be just wishful thinking from my part." -he said. –"Why don't you call them and ask them to meet us in the Garden of the Ancients in a couple of minutes, so they can speak for themselves about this matter?"

* * *

Doing what Master Fu suggested her, Marinette quickly dialled up everyone's number and called them, telling them they needed to come to the Garden of the Ancients immediately. She did not tell them why they needed to come, but she said it was urgent and what they had to talk about was too important to wait. Being the first ones to arrive, Marinette and Tikki helped Master Fu settle things for that emergency reunion, as she called it. After they had everything ready, it did not take more than a couple of minutes for the others to start arriving. The first to arrive were Nathaniel and Alya, accompanied by their kwamis, Mulan and Trixx.

"We came as fast as we could." -Nathaniel said.

"What's the big emergency, girl?!" -Alya asked her best-friend.

"I'll tell you all about it. Let's just wait for the others to arrive." -Marinette said.

"It's that big of a deal, huh?" -Alya asked her.

"I would be lying if I said it wasn't." -Marinette asserted.

When the last member arrived, who was Nino, Marinette and Master Fu quickly explained to them what had happened regarding Manon finding out about her secret identity and how Tikki showed up in front of her, and what happened next. They also told them about what Master Fu proposed them to do. The kwamis, who were familiar with that kind of problem, all saw the idea of making Manon a keeper of their secret as a good idea. But the heroes themselves were divided. Half of them felt that having a little girl knowing about their identities was a little risky, and asked themselves if there was no other way to deal with what happened, while the other half saw no problem in that and agreed to make Manon a keeper of the secret.

It was only through the combined efforts of Marinette and Master Fu, along with the half that was in favour, that the half that was against it, was convinced to change their mind regarding the subject. Plus, the kwamis also helped, by telling them about how other keepers had helped them over the centuries, and how some of them had been fundamental in their battle against Hawk Moth.

"So, it's settled." -Marinette sighed in relief.

"Yeah, I don't have any problems with her knowing about my secret identity." -Alya told Marinette.

"And are you sure she won't spill the beans?" -Chloé asked her.

"I'm with her. The last thing we need is for her to tell out real identities to someone." -Nino added.

"Pretty sure. Manon might have a lot of defects, but she also has a lot of qualities, and one of those qualities is that she can keep a secret, if you ask her." -Marinette declared.

"Now that that is settled, how does this go?" -Mylene asked them.

"Well, first you might want to reveal yourselves to her, and then, there will be a small ceremony, on which I will bestow her the symbol of her allegiance to you." -Master Fu said. –"And then, if you're in a mood, you can have a small party here with her. I'm sure she would like it." -he chuckled.

"Alright. If everyone's in favour, I'll go get Manon right now and we can get this done." –Marinette said. –"And of course, if you're up for it right now, master." -she looked at the old man, who smiled back at her.

"Of course." -Master Fu smiled, clapping his hands in anticipation. –"The ceremony is quite simple, and with the help of you all, we can have everything ready in about half an hour." -he told them.

"Then, go and get her, Marinette." -Tikki said. –"I'll stay here and help out."

* * *

The whole thing was surreal for Marinette. When she woke up that Saturday, she never thought that it would end up being like that. And, it was far from being over. She and the others had decided it was best for Manon to meet them all and become a keeper on that very same day, so while the others helped master Fu getting things ready for the ceremony, Marinette went to get Manon.

Teleporting herself to a safe location she knew about a couple of blocks from her house, she practically ran to it. Entering the bakery, Tom and Sabine were surprised to see her back so soon.

"I… I came to get Manon." -Marinette told he parents. –"Adrien is doing a photoshoot and they need a little girl to pose alongside him, so I told him that Manon could be that little girl" -she explained.

"But, weren't you helping Alya with something she was doing, honey?" -Sabine asked her.

"A-And I was… or better, I still am. She's helping Adrien in the photoshoot, so technically I'm helping both her and him." -Marinette smiled nervously, as she went up the stairs.

Not finding Manon in the living room playing or watching television, Marinette had a pretty good idea where she was… her room. Opening the trapdoor, she immediately heard Manon's giggles. She was playing with some dollies Marinette had taken from the trunk where she had most of them. Seeing

"Hey, there!" -Manon waved at Marinette.

"Hey!" -Marinette smiled. –"I see you decided to go

"Yes." -the little girl smiled. –"So, when can I meet your friends?" -she asked, referring to the Miraculous Team.

"Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about." -Marinette said, as she kneeled right beside Manon. –"You see, I went to talk to them, and they all decided that they wanted to meet you… today." -she smiled.

"Really?!" -Manon exclaimed, as her eyes filled with joy.

"But… they told me that you must be on your best behaviour, and you need to promise that you won't tell their secret to anyone, just like you promised not to tell mine." -Marinette declared. –"If you do that, we'll give you something really special. Something we only give to those we trust ad like the most, okay?"

"Okay." -Manon said. –"Oh, and where's Tikki?" -she asked for the little kwami.

"She stayed with the rest of the team." -Marinette said. –"Alright, let's get you ready so we can go meet them." -she said. –"Put on your shoes and one more thing, if my mom asks you, we're going to help Adrien with a photoshoot."

"Okay." -Manon giggled. –"I'll tell her were going to help your boyfriend." -she giggled.

"He's not my boyfriend, Manon." -Marinette told her. –" _Though I hope he will be, one of these days._ " -she thought to herself.

* * *

Just like Marinette had anticipated, Manon's mind was blown away when she found out that her school friends were also her superhero friends. Of course, she demanded proof, so they all transformed in front of her. On top of it all, she was also admired by the Garden of the Ancients, because she never thought a place like this could exist. Being a kid, it took her a little to assimilate all that she found out about. Luckily, all of them had an almost infinite amount of patience… well, all, except Chloé, who being an only child was not used to having little kids around her, or babysitting them. But, with a little help from her kwami, Pollen, she tried her best to be nice to Manon, who kept asking all kinds of questions, regarding their powers, their abilities, among other things.

"We can all lift pretty much things that weight 2 tons, but me? I can pretty much lift 5 tons when I'm really angry." -Ivan told Manon.

"I can draw anything. All I need to do is think about it and my pencil/harpoon does the rest." -Nathaniel commented.

"How many copies of myself I can do? I don't really know… I never tried to find out how many I can do before I exhaust myself." -Rose blushed a little.

But, Manon did not just stick to asking questions to the heroes. She also bombarded the kwamis with all sorts of questions. She was on cloud nine, as she asked them everything she could think of.

"My favourite food is cheese, but I personally prefer Camembert cheese to all the others." -Plagg told her, after which she asked him how could he like something that smelled so bad. –"It doesn't smell bad. It's merely the sweet aroma of cheese, you know?" -he said, which earned him a couple of laughs from her.

"We all get tired, just like you." -Mulan said. –"That's why we also need to eat and sleep."

"How old are we?" -Pollen said. –"Well, we're really old. Older than the pyramids in Egypt, you know?" -the bee kwami smiled.

The Q&A session went on for more than half an hour, as Master Fu prepared himself for the ceremony that was going to take place. The temple's room where they would sometimes gather to rest a bit after practice was fully transformed, and now looked like the inside of a Shinto temple. There was the aroma of incense and vanilla in the air, which combined with the lighting, gave the place a distinctive atmosphere. When it was time for the ceremony, Master Fu went to Manon and told her what was going to happen and what she was supposed to do. He also explained the teenagers what they were supposed to do, as they took their places.

The ceremony was something that reminded some of them of things they had seen in movies about cults and brotherhoods, with them taking their place along a small pathway that would lead to a low altar, where Master Fu and the kwamis awaited them. Walking down the pathway, Manon made her way to the altar, stopping a couple of times along the way to look the teenagers in the eyes. She was told that what was happening was very serious, and so, did her best to behave herself. Reaching the altar, Master Fu smiled and told her to kneel.

"Manon Chamack… you are here, because you have discovered the identity of one of the miraculous holders. As such, we have all decided to grant you the highest honour one can receive from us... becoming the keeper of the secret of the Miraculous order. Tell me, is it your wish to become a keeper of the secret?" -Master Fu spoke in a gentle yet serious tone. –"Just say yes, dear." -he whispered at her, while winking his eye.

"Y-Yes." -Manon said

"Then, repeat" after me. I, Manon Chamack, solely swear…" -Master Fu said.

"I, Manon Chamack, solely swear…" -Manon said.

"… to protect the secret of this order…"

"… to protect the secret of this order…"

"…by not revealing what I know to anyone outside of it…"

"…by not revealing what I know to anyone outside of it…"

"… And to always be ready to help the Miraculous heroes, in their time of need."

"… And to always be ready to help the Miraculous heroes, in their time of need."

"With that, I pronounce you a keeper of the secret, Manon." -Master Fu said. –"And, so you might be recognized by others who might also become keepers, we now bestow this upon you."

It was then that all the kwamis gave hands, forming a circle. Focusing, they started to glow. This glow lasted only a few seconds, after which something appeared in the middle of them, a small piece of golden metal, shaped like one of the boxes where the miraculouses were kept, with a small tiny golden chain attached to it. Grabbing it, he placed it around the little girl's neck, smiling.

"Always wear this around your neck, my dear Manon. Not only it will signal you as a guardian, but it will also protect you." -Master Fu said.

"Okay. Thank you." -Manon smiled.

"And with this, I declare this ceremony concluded." -Master Fu announced, after which a wave of applauses was heard.

"We're really proud of you, Manon." -Alya said.

"Yes, you did very well." -Adrien declared.

"Now, remember, keep this around your neck at all times, and don't tell anyone about anything of this. You can only talk about this when you're around us, and when we're alone, okay, you little rascal, you?" -Marinette said, as she tickled her.

"O-Okay… (laughs)… I won't tell anyone." -Manon giggled.

"Alright, I believe you. And now, let's party a little. Nino there really wants to see you dance." -Marinette chuckled.

While the small party they had put on for Manon took place, Master Fu temporarily retired himself to a small room inside the temple. Though small, this room was where the old master kept one of the most sacred and important objects in his possession, the Book of Prophecies. This one was on display on a small wooden table. Opening it, he smiled as he looked at the latest page where a prophecy had appeared. In it, you could see little Manon, along with him and all the Miraculous holders, as he performed the ceremony that made her a keeper of their secret. The page itself had appeared the previous night, and although the book itself would not usually reveal things before they happened, this time, it did. When Marinette showed up to tell him what had happened, he could have told her about that particular page, but instead, he decided to let fate run its course.

" _As you have predicted, Manon is now a keeper of the secret, and I do believe that she will play a part in the kids' fight against Hawk Moth, though I ignore what that part will be._ " -Master Fu thought to himself. –" _Time will tell, if I'm right or not_ " -he went on with his thoughts –" _I should tell them about this. But for now, let them be kids and enjoy this._ "


	26. Epilogue

Marinette had been able to keep up her word on one of the promises she made to Manon, when she found out about her being Ladybug. But, she still had to fulfil two more promises. She knew that now that she was a keeper of the secret, Manon would not tell anyone about her or any of her friends' being Paris' most famous superheroes. But, she had been raised to always fulfil her promises, and on that night, she was going to fulfil the second one… taking Manon out for a walk as Ladybug.

Since it was Sunday and they both had school in the morning, they agreed to go on just a quick walk. Likely swing by the Louvre and come back. Still, being Manon's favourite babysitter, as the little girl liked to call her so often, Marinette came up with a way to make that little ride seem ever so much special. She made some hot cocoa for them and put it on a thermos, so they could share it when arriving at the Louvre. Putting everything in a small backpack, she told her parents that she was going to sleep.

Manon had gone to bed earlier, so Marinette knew she would have to wake her up, because when the little girl landed on a bed, 10 minutes later she would be asleep, if no one called her. Passing by her room, she gently opened the door and looked inside. The light was on, but just like she had predicted, the little girl had fallen asleep on top of the bed. Entering it, she gently woke Manon up and told her to wait for her, that she would come to pick her in 5 minutes. She also handed her the backpack and told her to bring it with her.

"I'll be back in 5 minutes, okay?" -Marinette warned her, as she made her way to the door.

"Okay." -Manon waved her head.

"And put on a jacket, Manon, it's freezing out there tonight." -the blue-haired girl told her, having she just checked it for herself, when putting her arm out the window.

Already upstairs in her room, Marinette went to wake up Tikki who had spent most of the day sleeping. She only woke up to eat something and then, went back to sleep. Questioning the little kwami, she said that she was just tired and that the previous day had been a real shocker to her nervous system, so Marinette just let her sleep, so she could get her strength back. But right then, she needed her to wake up, and to make her jump out of her little bed, Marinette had brought with her something Tikki would not be able to resist, no matter how tired she might have been.

"Tikki… wake up, Tikki." -Marinette said.

"Mmm… go away and come back later, Marinette…" –Tikki said, not opening her eyes.

"But I've got something for you." -the blue-haired girl smiled.

"If it's not a chocolate chipped and marshmallow cookie, or word that Hawk Moth has attacked, I'm not moving an inch." -Tikki stated, turning herself to the other side.

"Well, you got it right the first, it's a cookie." -Marinette laughed. –"And if you don't get out of bed in 5 seconds, I'm going to eat it. -she giggled, as she pretended she was about to eat the cookie, only for Tikki to jump out of her bed and grab it.

The blue-haired girl could not help but to giggle, upon seeing her little kwami flying out of bed and gulping down the cookie in an almost record time. When she finished, there was not a shred of evidence that that cookie had ever been there, not even a single crumb.

"If only that trick would work with me when I don't want to get out of bed." -Marinette told her.

"I could make it work… but instead of a cookie, I would use one of Adrien's photos you have in your closet." -Tikki giggled, as she gulped down the last bit of the cookie. –"So, why did you get me out of bed for, huh?" -she smiled.

"I'm taking Manon for a ride. You think you have the strength for it?"

"Of course, just say the magic words and let's go." -Tikki said. –"But remember, let's not take too long, you and her have school in the morning." -she reminded her.

"Don't worry, I remember it." -Marinette said.

* * *

The night was incredibly chilly, but swinging from building to building like that was enough to get her to heat up in a minute or two. As for Manon, with the jacket she had on, she practically did not feel the cold. Holding tight to Ladybug, the little girl was marvelled with that ride. It was not her first time doing that, but the first time, she was still in shock from being Madame Romani's hostage, so she could not appreciate it. Now, she was calm, and she was enjoying herself, laughing and giggling every time the scarlet heroine took a tight turn. It was like being a on a rollercoaster, only much better. Hearing her laugh and giggle, Ladybug could not help but to smile as well.

The heroine almost had a heart attack when she found out that Manon had been kidnapped by one of her enemies and used as bait to get her to give up her miraculous, along with the miraculouses of her friends. In the end, she almost had a second heart attack when the little girl found out about her identity, forcing her to admit that she really was Ladybug… but thinking about it, there was a part of her that was happy she found out about it, because now she had someone outside the team with whom she could talk about it. Plus, now Tikki and the rest of the kwamis would not have to hide when she was in the room, and Manon was the keeper of their secret, something Manon was really happy about.

"You're enjoying yourself?!" -Ladybug asked Manon.

"Yes!" –Manon exclaimed. –"Faster, faster, faster!" -she begged the heroine.

"Okay, if you want to go faster, I'll go. Hang on!" -the heroine exclaimed, as she used hers and Manon's combined weight to give herself a boost and swing faster.

Just like she had planned, the ride ended on top of the Richelieu Wing in Louvre. Landing on the building's rooftop, Ladybug let Manon appreciate the view, never letting her eyes off her for a second. The last thing she wanted was for her to fall from it. The little girl had brought her cell phone with her and asked the heroine to take a couple of photos of her with the city in the background, along with the usual selfie. She wanted to have photos of that ride, so she could remember it.

"One more! One more!" -Manon exclaimed.

"Manon, we already took five selfies. Don't you think that's enough?" -Ladybug asked her.

"No, I still don't have one with the Eiffel Tower in the background." -Manon said, as she checked the photos.

"Alright, one more." -Ladybug sighed.

After the photos were taken, they both sat at the ledge of the building, just looking at what happened on the street. Asking Manon for the backpack, she opened it and took out the thermos with the hot chocolate and two mugs she had brought with her. Pouring the hot liquid into the mugs, she gave one to Manon

"This will keep you warm." -Ladybug said. –"Sorry I didn't bring any marshmallows, but I only remembered about them when we were already here." -she said, as she sipped the hot cocoa.

They both remained in silence for a couple of minutes. It felt strange to Ladybug, because Manon was always talking, and seeing her like that, silent, just sipping her hot cocoa, it was one of the few times she saw the little girl behaving like that, without anyone telling her to do it. Looking at her, she could not help but to wonder what kind of kid she would be when she was her age. Still, she knew that whatever kind of kid she would become, it would be a good one, because she had a loving mother and father, who though did not spend as much time with her as they wanted to, loved her very much, and a group of friends, both her age and older, who were there for her.

"You're lucky." -Manon said, breaking the silence.

"Why is that?" -Ladybug asked her.

"Because you get to do this whenever you want to." -the little girl said as she took another sip from her mug.

"Well, that's not true, Manon. I mean, it is true that I get the chance of coming up here and enjoy the view, but I also take my job as superhero very seriously, you know?" -Ladybug said.

"Like in Spider-Man! With great power…"

"… comes great responsibility. See how you know it, Manon? It really is a great responsibility." -Ladybug told her. –"It's my responsibility, to make sure the bad guys don't win, so everyone can sleep safe in their beds, including you." -Ladybug told her.

"You're the best, you know that, Ladybug?" -Manon asked her.

"Yeah, yeah I do." Ladybug giggled. –"But you know what, you're also the best, Manon." -she winked at her. –"And one more thing, when it's just the two of us, you can call me Marinette, okay?"

"Okay, Marinette." -Manon smiled.


End file.
